We Must Protect Animals from Needless Experiments Essay -- Argumentati

We Must Protect Animals from Needless Experiments Picture this: Researchers place a dog in a device called a â€Å"shuttlebox† which consists of a box divided into two compartments separated by a barrier. Hundreds of intense electric shocks are delivered to the dog’s feet through a grid floor. At first the dog is able to escape the shock by jumping across the barrier, but then the barrier is replaced by a piece of plate glass. The dog is tested again and, as expected, tries to jump over the barrier, but instead he smashes his head into the glass. The researchers observe that the dog’s reaction to his situation includes such symptoms as â€Å"defecation, urination, yelping and shrieking, trembling, and attacking the apparatus.† After ten or twelve days the dog ceases to resist the shocks. The conclusion of this experiment is that a combination of the plate glass barrier and foot shock was â€Å"very effective† in eliminating jumping by dogs (Singer 36). No medical benefits emerged from this experiment, yet this same experiment continues to be carried out by other researchers. In fact, every 24 hours in this country, about 200,000 creatures die in the name of medical and scientific progress, some in experiments like the one just described (Satchell 4). Many of these experiments are repetitive and unnecessary. Congress needs to pass a law preventing cruel and unnecessary experimentation on animals. The Animal Welfare Act was passed in 1966, the only Federal law that directly defines the rights of animals. The act sets standards for lab animals’ living conditions but sets no regulations on actual experimentation. The act was amended in 1970, setting standards for the transportation, housing, and handling of animals sold as p... ...ce 14 October 1988: 185-186. Huges, Jane. â€Å"Raining Cats and Dogs.† National Review 23 July 1990: 35-38. Marcus, Erin. â€Å"New Research Methods Seem Unlikely to Eliminate Animal Testing.† Washington Post 28 August 1990: A3. Morrison, Adrian R. and Dominick P. Pupura. â€Å"Legislative Shift on Animal Research.† BioScience March 1990: 172. Rosenberger, Jack. â€Å"Whose Life Is it Anyway?† New York 15 Jan 1990: 30-31. Satchell, Michael. â€Å"Do They Have Rights?† Parade 13 January 1985: 4. Scharmann, Wolfgang. "Ethical Aspects of Animal Experimentation." Fox 89. Singer, Peter. Animal Liberation. 2nd ed. New York: New York Review of Books, 1990. United States. United States Codes. 7:2131, 1988. Weiss, Rick. â€Å"Test Tube Toxicology.† Science News 16 January 1988: 42. Wright, Robert. â€Å"Are Animals People Too?† The New Republic 12 March 1990: 20-22, 26-27.