Slaughter of the Innocent

Animal Rights

Slaughter of the Innocent

This is a paper on the article 'Slaughter of the Innocent'. There are two references used for this paper.

Ethical and animal rights issues raised by experimentation are important to many people today. It is interesting to look at the article 'Slaughter of the Innocent' and compare it with the principles of Buddhism.

Vivisection

Vivisection is the "term now used to apply to all types of experiments on living animals, whether or not cutting is done. Broadly, it is any form of animal experimentation, especially if considered to cause distress to the subject. The term also applies to experiments done with the administration of noxious substances, burns, electric or traumatic shocks, drawn-out deprivations of food and drink, and psychological tortures leading to mental imbalance (Ruesch)."

Many scientists torture thousands of animals every day under the pretense of medical research. They assert that through this torture, cures can be found for many diseases currently plaguing mankind today, such as cancer and AIDS.

Past History

While scientists contend that experimentation on animals is necessary, they conveniently overlook past history concerning similar experiments. History has shown that drugs which cured animals of certain diseases or ailments have had disastrous effects on humans.

The ancient Egyptians realized the inhumanity of testing substances on animals. Researchers as far back as Charles Bell, who lived during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, criticized others for using animals in experimentations. Bell stated "vivisection is not just inhuman and unscientific, but it is unscientific because it is inhuman. He declared that vivisection could only be practiced by callous individuals, who couldn't be expected to penetrate the mysteries of life. Such individuals lack real intelligence - sensibility being a component, and certainly not the least, of human intelligence (Ruesch)."

Differences in Species

Experimentation on animals has been proven to be ineffective for human systems. Foods and drugs which are beneficial for animals may be harmful or deadly for humans. Conversely, substances which produce adverse reactions in animals may actually benefit humans. This is because animals and humans each have their own distinct anatomy and psychology.

Buddhism and Animal Rights

The ethics of animal rights supporters are compatible with those of Buddhist in terms of moral beliefs and an understanding of the entire circumstance. The nature of the callous individuals who torture animals cannot account for the true nature of all humans. When determining the true nature, or Buddha-nature of humans, it is important to examine all humankind, and not just one portion of the species.