Wk 4 – Self-Assessment Worksheet

Running Head: ANIMAL RESEARCH 1

Animal Subjects in Medical research

Antwaniesha Edwards

ENG/200

ANIMAL RESEARCH 2

Medical research, also known as experimental research, comprises various research starting

with basic research, which involves fundamental scientific principles and clinical research. Clinical

research comprises the study of humans or animals who, in this regard, are subjects for clinical

trials. It is also research done to understand more about human beings' health and diseases that

affect them. However, animal testing has become a common practice in medical research to

develop vaccines and drugs for human illnesses other the years. Medical research that relies on

animal testing should be banned because it violates animal rights; it is morally wrong and leads to

animal subjects' death.

Experimental research violates animal rights by not giving them a chance to speak or

accept to be used as subjects. Through medical research contributes to the suffering of animals and

inflicting body pain on the animals. "In the context of animal rights, Regan believes that animals

should have certain moral rights, such as the right to bodily integrity and the right not to suffer,"

(Kotzmann & Pendergrast, 2019). For example, a nicotine study in 2014 required squirrel

monkeys to get addicted to nicotine to test its effect on human beings (Kaplan, 2018). These tests

later cause problems in the monkeys, such as gastric bloat, which leaves them in pain. The use of

animals in medical research is wrong as it contributes to a violation of animal rights.

The use of animals in medical research is ineffective because other people consider it

morally wrong and use plant-based diets to keep themselves healthy. Human beings are guided by

morals and laws which depict and direct their daily activities towards each other and living things

around them. For example, vegetarians and vegan diets shy away from consuming animal-based

products because it is not right. People are likely to pursue a plant-based diet because of personal

health, environment, and animal rights (Hopwood et al., 2020). The use of animals in practical

ANIMAL RESEARCH 3

medicinal research is morally wrong and may not be effective because animals suffer from

different illnesses and react differently to medicines, unlike human beings.

Medical research relying on animal testing as test subjects should be banned because it

leads to animals' death. Kaplan (2018) explains that the nicotine research in 2014 began with 24

squirrel monkeys, but four of the monkeys had died by the end. Hunting of medicine or testing for

the effects of various elements on human beings, such as nicotine, through animals, is infringing on

their democracy (Donaldson, 2020). Like human beings, animals should be given the right to

advocacy and political help to prevent the animal kingdom from dying on research tables for

human benefit.

The use of animals as test subjects for medicinal research is a debate that has been going on

for years. Animal testing should be stopped because it leads to the violation of animal rights

despite the fact that animals cannot speak for themselves. It is also a method that cannot produce

effective results because human testing is required to test the effectiveness of the research

outcomes at the end of the day. Animals also react differently to certain substances and diseases,

which differ from human reactions on the same aspect. It can also lead to the death of the subject

animals, which brings out morality and justice for animals used in the research.

ANIMAL RESEARCH 4

Reference

Donaldson, S. (2020). Animal Agora: Animal Citizens and the Democratic Challenge. Social

Theory and Practice. Vol. 46, No. 4.

Hopwood. C., J, Bleidorn, W., Schwaba, T. &,Chen, S. (2020)Health, environmental, and animal

rights motives for vegetarian eating.PLoSONE15(4):e0230609.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.023060

Kaplan, S. (2018, January 26). The New York Times. Retrieved from

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/health/fda-monkeys-nicotine.html

Kotzmann, J. and Pendergrast, N. (2019). Animal rights: Time to start unpacking what rights and

for whom. Mitchell Hamline