Liberal Road Blog Individual Freedom and Equality

Pretty much everyone knows that medicine and cosmetics are tested on animals. But did you know that pet food, household products or tobacco are tested on animals too? (Sources: PETA, API and Smokinganimals.com)

These are only examples of the many unexpected products that are tested on animals. Is it really necessary to test these products on animals?

No, and it is even harder to defend animal testing on these products than it is to defend animal testing of medicine.

Anyway, household products and tobacco are not necessary to survive (even if the tobacco companies would certainly be more than happy to give that picture that tobacco is good for health and will make you live longer), so it can’t be argued either that animal testing and research is absolutely necessary for the survival of certain persons.

Furthermore, even if all new household products, pet food and tobacco brands should be tested on animals for some reason, do we really need new products? Can’t we manage to choose between the dozen different laundry powders, the dozen different dog or cat food cans or the dozen different tobacco brands that exist already?

As there are a lot of ingredients already used that are known as safe, we don’t need to test new ingredients any more.

It’s time to stop animal testing. For an older post on animal testing check this link.
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Picture from http://www.smokinganimals.com/

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With over 100 million animals used every year in animal tests worldwide (estimation, source: Buav) here are 5 things that can be done to try to stop this cruel practice:

1. Stop buying products tested on animals

For most products there are many alternatives that have not been tested on animals. Check what is marked on the products that you buy or have a look at this list of products not tested on animals. By not buying cosmetics or household products tested on animals the sales of the companies that test on animals goes down. This way no money goes to supporting animal testing done by these companies.

2. Join an animal right organization

This is a way to both support campaigns against animal testing and also get information on animal rights. Find a local organization working for animal rights. Here are some: Peta (USA), BUAV (UK).

3. Sign a petition online

It’s easy and fast. Here is an example of a petition you can write your name on, but look for others as well.

4. Write to a company testing on animals

Even better, if you have the time write a polite letter to the chief of a company testing on animals. The chief himself or herself won’t probably read your letter, but a secretary will and it will be noticed especially if many do the same thing. Here is a website with contact details you can use.

5. Inform your friends about animal testing and alternatives

Inform your friends about animal testing and alternatives. Some won’t listen and will disagree, but others will. It’s really hard to convince someone who is already completely decided on a topic. But those not really sure about their opinions are much easier. Here is an example of a site with more information and arguments that can be used.

For an older post on animal testing see here.

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Picture copyright owned by vierdrie, see http://www.sxc.hu/photo/803099. The picture doesn’t have to do with animal testings.

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I wrote about animal testing in an earlier post. Due to the big interest that animal rights and animal tests seem to have I decided to write more about them.

Once upon a time products were tested on beings held in bad conditions in captivity against their will. Many were in pain and died. These tests could possibly leads to advances in medicine. I’m talking about tests conducted on Jews in Nazi concentration camps in World War II.

These tests are considered as completely unacceptable and immoral nowadays.

Once upon a time products were tested on beings held in bad conditions in captivity against their will. Many were in pain and died. These tests could possibly lead to advances in medicine. I’m talking about tests on animals that are still extremely common.

But this time these tests are not widely condemned. Many argue that it is for the public good. But the situation is basically the same; it’s about sacrifying someone for the possible public good that may arise.

To sacrify someone should never be accepted. It is time to realize it and ban animal testing.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN TO GIVE YOUR OPINION! FEEL FREE TO COMMENT WHATEVER YOUR OPINION IS.

[Update October 1, 2007: For a newer post on how to stop animal testing see here]

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As I checked the news on google today this news draw my attention.

Basically an Austrian court is going to decide whether or not a certain Chimpanzee have human rights. I have to welcome this debate. It’s a great thing that it is debated if Chimpanzees’ should have human rights. I believe they do, as well as other animals too. An old post about the subject.

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An estimated 100 million animals are used in laboratory tests every year. Tests are done on all kind of animals: mice, rats, rabbits, apes but also dogs and cats.

5 reasons to ban animal testing:

- Animal testing is cruel. Many animal tests lead to pain on animals and a part of the tests are performed without any pain killers. Some tests lead to permanent injury or death. The toxicology of some products are tested by putting it in the eyes of a rabbit for days.

- Animals have rights too. Animals have rights as well and they shouldn’t be violated. Human beings are just another species of animals. Most of us wouldn’t accept that 100 million people would be submitted every year to non-voluntary tests (many leading to pain or death). Why do we allow it with animals? Animals are non-volunteers in tests when tests could be done with alternative methods.

- Animal tests aren’t reliable. People and animals are different and that’s why a medicine or cosmetic ingredient that is safe on animals may not be it on people or vis-versa. For example aspirin is toxic to rats and mice but not to people (source: BUAV)

- There are alternative to animal testing. These includes for example embryonic stem cell research. Also using volunteering people instead of non-volunteering animals is one of the alternatives.

- Animal tests are often unnecessary. As results from animal tests are often considered commercial secrets, it happens that the same products or ingredients are tested many times by different companies. The necessity of animal testing for cosmetics can be also questioned. Furthermore alternatives to animal research could be used.

[Update: I've written more about animal testing on a newer post, feel free to check out here.]

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Animal rights are not accepted as widely as human rights. I believe animals should have equal rights as people. Animals should for example have the right to life, freedom and so on. Using them for medical research, food and other is completely unacceptable. I’m going to explain why.

Most of us agree that individuals have rights. Most of us agree that people shouldn’t for example be killed, assaulted and that everyone should have basic freedom (and the list could go on). Most of us also agree that all of us have these rights - not only some. For examples not only the rich or the intelligent have the right to life and not to be beaten or imprisoned for no reason.

However most people think that these rights don’t apply to animals. Why? One of the most common arguments used is that animals wouldn’t be able to think and therefore inferior. This is a very controversial issue in scientific research and many scientists believe that animals think (link).

And even if it was the case that animals didn’t think it still wouldn’t be acceptable to violate their rights. I give an example: There are some very seriously mentally retarded people that can’t actually really think very much. If it was all right to kill and eat animals because they couldn’t think, then it should be all right to kill and eat these seriously mentally retarded persons. However there is a large consensus that allowing to kill and eat the seriously mentally retarded people in question is totally unacceptable.

Another argument used to argue that animals shouldn’t have rights is that animals “are naturally inferior” because they are not civilized. Here again we have the same situation. What about the persons that don’t live in “civilized” and have no idea of the industrial world? Should it be all right to kill and eat them? No, it shouldn’t; they have rights too is what almost anyone asked will answer. So why wouldn’t animals not living in “civilization” have these rights?

As a conclusion and for all these reasons animals should have the same rights as human beings. A crime against an animal should bring the same punishment as the same crime against a person. Killing animals, using them as food or using them in medical experiments is totally unacceptable and can actually be compared to concentration camps in Nazi Germany.

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