animal rights vs medical research

7/25/2019 Animal Rights vs Medical Research

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Animal rights vs medical research

Humane treatment of animals vs factory farms

Animal protection vs business employment interests

What is Animal Welfare and why is it important?

The difference between Animal Rights & Animal Welfare

By: Patti Strand Date: 06/0/!0" Category: | Animal Rights #s Animal Welfare| Animal Welfare|

Some people use the terms animal welfare and animal rights interchangeably, suggesting that they represent the

same concerns, principles and practices. But the differences between the two are significant and irreconcilable.

What is Animal Welfare?


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In its simplest form, animal welfare refers to the relationships people have with animals and the duty they have to

assure that the animals under their care are treated humanely and responsibly.

Ancient Animal $a#e %rawings

Despite its current popularity, interest in animal welfare is not a modern phenomenon. Concern for animal care and

wellbeing has eisted sincedomestication, which occurred at least !",""" years ago in #eolithic times. $ur

appreciation and respect for animals led to theirdomestication, animal agriculture and animal husbandry, the branch

of agriculture that deals with the care and breeding of animals. %any historians consider the development of

agriculture to be the most important event in all of human history.

&he animal welfare ethic that developed in the #eolithic era is one that obligated people to consider their animals'

welfare in order to achieve their own purposes. It set in place a mutually beneficial arrangement between people and

animals that goes li(e this: )If we ta(e care of the animals, the animals will ta(e care of us.* In this ancient but

enduring pact, self+interest demanded that people ta(e good care of their animals. ma-ingly, this very fundamental

animal welfare ethic survives today, especially in settings where hands+on animal care continues. &oday we call this

special relationship the human+animal bond.

Dr. Bernard ollin, an animal science professor at Colorado State /niversity, argues however, that 0"th century

technology bro(e this ancient contract when it allowed us to put animals into environments and uses that didn1t impair

their productivity but harmed their well+being.

&hat defines the challenge today, the need to provide acceptable levels of animal welfare in a nation that is no

longerrural and agricultural,but which in the span of 0 paradigm+shifting centuries has become urbani-ed and
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Neolithic_vs_Paleolithichttp://www.diffen.com/difference/Neolithic_vs_Paleolithichttp://www.ancient.eu.com/Animal_Husbandry/http://www.ancient.eu.com/Animal_Husbandry/https://www.avma.org/kb/resources/reference/human-animal-bond/pages/human-animal-bond-avma.aspxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Rollinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_revolutionhttp://www.ancient.eu.com/Animal_Husbandry/https://www.avma.org/kb/resources/reference/human-animal-bond/pages/human-animal-bond-avma.aspxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Rollinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_revolutionhttp://www.diffen.com/difference/Neolithic_vs_Paleolithic


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technological.In modern merican societyonly 02 of an ever+increasing population lives on farms and only !2

practices farming as an occupation. &his contrasts sharply with the mid !3""'s when4"2 of mericans were farmers.

If these trends continue, farming will become more concentrated in the future, a situation that ma(es animal welfare

an even more important sub5ect.

Animal Welfare Principles & Policies

6armers, ranchers, animal trainers, animal scientists, dog and cat breeders, veterinarians, -oo (eepers, and others

who live and wor( with animals recogni-e these challenges and wor( within their professions, hobbies and

businesses to address them. Businesses that wor( with animals adopt animal welfare policies, practices and

programs to assure the availability of wholesome food and fresh water, veterinary care, proper handling, sociali-ation

and in recent years many have added environmental enhancements for the animals they (eep. &hey evaluate

individual animals for health and welfare indicators such as energy level, appetite, hair coat, brightness of eye and

other signs. Some businesses use scientific methods such as measuring cortisol levels in blood to evaluate stress

levels. 7hen best practices are in place and the animals appear comfortable and healthy, the level of animal welfare

provided is generally deemed acceptable. 8ere are some eamples of animal care policies and guidelines:

The American ennel $l'b( $are and $onditions Policy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_revolutionhttp://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/demographics.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/demographics.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/demographics.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/trouble/timeline/index_4.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/trouble/timeline/index_4.htmlhttp://images.akc.org/pdf/governmentrelations/documents/Safe_Housing.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_revolutionhttp://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/demographics.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/demographics.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/trouble/timeline/index_4.htmlhttp://images.akc.org/pdf/governmentrelations/documents/Safe_Housing.pdf


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The )o#artis Animal Welfare Policy for Animals in Research

The American *oological Association(s Animal +'sbandry and Welfare Policy

The American ,edical -eterinary Association .A-,A Animal Welfare Principle

&he i#e reedomsis a widely cited animal welfare document both in 9urope and in the /nited States

The i#e reedoms1

!. 6reedom from 8unger and &hirst + by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and

vigour.

0. 6reedom from Discomfort + by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable

resting area.

. 6reedom from ;ain, In5ury or Disease + by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.

-oos, circuses and marine animal par(s where eotic animals can be seen> large

farms where thousands of animals may live in close confinement and commercial dog breeding (ennels. 9ven as

these businesses eplore new approaches and adopt new and improved practices, however, the optics ma(es it

difficult for critics to believe that animal welfare is being nurtured.

;ublic concern over substandard care and treatment of animals in large+scale or institutional settings has led to an

enormous body of federal, state and local laws governing the treatment and housing of animals in these settings,

sometimes creating numerous layers of regulations and re?uiring multiple agencies to perform inspections of the

same entity. t the federal level there are laws governing the care of-oo, circus and marine animals> the humane

slaughter of farm animals, how laboratory animalsshould be treated, and howdogs raised in commercial dog

breeding (ennelsshould be housed and cared for. In addition, there are countless local ordinances regulating the

(eeping of animals, laws that regulate dog breeding and a host of other activities that formerly were conducted in

more rural settings.
http://www.novartis.com/innovation/responsibly-tackling-the-challenging-issues/animal-research/animal-welfare/the-3rs.shtmlhttps://www.aza.org/animal-husbandry-and-welfare/https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/AVMA-Animal-Welfare-Principles.aspxhttp://www.fawc.org.uk/freedoms.htmhttp://www.fawc.org.uk/freedoms.htmhttp://awic.nal.usda.gov/zoo-circus-and-marine-animalshttp://awic.nal.usda.gov/zoo-circus-and-marine-animalshttp://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusfd7usca1901.htmhttp://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusfd7usca1901.htmhttp://www.aaalac.org/resources/usregs.cfmhttp://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/portal/aphis/ourfocus/animalwelfarehttp://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/portal/aphis/ourfocus/animalwelfarehttp://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/portal/aphis/ourfocus/animalwelfarehttp://www.novartis.com/innovation/responsibly-tackling-the-challenging-issues/animal-research/animal-welfare/the-3rs.shtmlhttps://www.aza.org/animal-husbandry-and-welfare/https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/AVMA-Animal-Welfare-Principles.aspxhttp://www.fawc.org.uk/freedoms.htmhttp://awic.nal.usda.gov/zoo-circus-and-marine-animalshttp://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusfd7usca1901.htmhttp://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusfd7usca1901.htmhttp://www.aaalac.org/resources/usregs.cfmhttp://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/portal/aphis/ourfocus/animalwelfarehttp://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/portal/aphis/ourfocus/animalwelfare


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The role of animal welfare in dealing with animal ab'se2 cr'elty andneglect


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addition to the many programs and policies developed to improve standards of care and wellbeing for animals,

animal welfare proponents also wor( to end animal abuse.

nimal abuse comes in many forms, but for purposes of simplification, can be separated into two ma5or categories:

abuse that occurs as a result of negligence @failure to act properlyA or harm that results from deliberate acts. &he

lines are sometimes blurred between what is intentional and what is not, and cases are decided on the basis of case+specific facts. 9very state now has felony laws against animal cruelty, but they vary tremendously from state to state

in the acts they designate as felonies, and in the punishment they impose for those crimes.

In the case of neglect, abuse can be the result of ignorance, such as when a pet owner didn't recogni-e that a pet

needed veterinary treatment> or when it is the result of behavior that a person should have (nown would cause harm

to animals but allowed to continue.

buse can also be the result of overt cruelty to animals. Deliberate acts of cruelty include torture, beating or maiming

animals as well as activities such as dog fighting, which result in severe pain, in5ury and death to the animals

involved. Deliberate acts of abuse warrant the most severe penalties, not only because of their shoc(ing nature and

the immediate harm they inflict, but also because there are well (nown connections between abuse to animals and

violence against people.

Animal Welfare and Animal Rights AR3 )4T T+3 SA,3

%any animal welfare proponents call themselves animal rights advocates because that term seems to represent what

they believe, but animal welfare and animal rights are based in entirely different beliefs and use different tactics to

achieve their goals. /nli(e animal welfare principles, which inherently support the humane and responsible use of

animals, animal rights tenets oppose all use of animals no matter how humane, or how responsible. ;9&'s motto

articulates the animal rights position very well, and demonstrates that in this belief system, animal use and animal

abuse are synonymous: )nimals are not ours to eat, wear, eperiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any

other way.*

Animal rights campaigns 'se animal welfare iss'es to promote their agenda

lthough pac(aged for maimum appeal,animal rights beliefs conflict with the views of at least 4


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It is also important to recogni-e that the animal rights mo#ement is the only social mo#ement in the 8S with a

history of wor9ing with 'ndergro'nd criminals, which the: has named single iss'e terrorists. #otably, many

in the animal rights leadership do not condemn violence when it is committed in the name of their cause, a hallmar(

of unethical and radical movements. %any animal rights groups do little more than eploit animal welfare problems for

their own fundraising purposes. Sometimes the fundraising campaign amounts to no more than raising concerns

about an industry or pastime that utili-es animals, labeling them as cruel in order to position themselves on the highmoral ground and raise money. &he S;C and 8S/S recently paid 4. million and !=.= million respectively to

the company that owns ingling Bros circus to settle, among other things, a ac(eteering Corrupt $rgani-ation ct

@IC$A lawsuitin which they were defendants because they @or their affiliatesA improperly paid someone to be a

witness against the company with testimony that was not found to be credible.

nother area of disagreement between animal welfare and animal rights proponents is over the legal status of

animals. nimal welfare advocates call for animal protection laws. nimal rights supporters push for legal rights for

animals, something that re?uires a change in the legal status of animals and mandates a new class of government

administrators to ma(e decisions on behalf of animals. 6undamentally, the animal rights approach to animals is less

about improving their care than it is about politics. It's about power. Specifically it's about who decides how animals

will be treated including whether they should remain in private ownership at all, or be placed in sanctuaries created to

provide animals refuge from human ownership and use. nimal rights ideology wor(s to separate people from

animals and if achieved would sever the human+animal bond.

&he ethical framewor( that supports animal welfare principles springs from the 7estern ethical tradition, one that

embraces tolerance for diversity and minority views and uses (nowledge and education rather than coercion to

advance its ob5ectives. &he willingness of the animal rights leadership to misrepresent their beliefs and motives and

to wor( with illegal factions indicates that their views arise from different roots.

Animal Welfare 5 The middle gro'nd between two e;tremes

Aristotle

animal rights vs medical research

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