EthisCarly Peters
Ethics, Night Class
Mr. Hobbs
May 6, 2013

An Ethical View into Animal Rights

In May of 2007, two humpback whales, a mother and her calf, found themselves stranded in a fresh water river off the coast of California. They were in the process of migrating from Alaska to Mexico, when they made a wrong turn under the Golden Gate Bridge, and into the San Francisco Bay. They landed over 90 miles away from the Pacific Ocean that they needed to return to for survival. Their skin began showing signs of distress and injury, and the public decided it was time to get involved. They began sending in all their ideas on how the whales could be coaxed back through the river, into the bay, and off to the ocean. They sent e-mails, made phone calls and visits to government agencies, and came up with countless original ideas that they wanted to share with officials. The longer time went on, the more worried people were becoming about these whales. Fortunately, the Coast Guard was eventually successful in coaxing the whales back through the channel and out to the Pacific after many failed attempts. Why do people care so much about other living creatures? Another question I must bring up is should we be spending so much time and effort on them when there are many other human needs of people that need to be met around the world? I will be connecting many ethical philosophies to this idea of Animal Rights throughout this discussion, and hopefully you will be able to formulate your own moral stance to the answers of those questions. Animal Rights isn’t seen only in the saving of creatures that need rescued. Every year, millions of people go hunting. Sometimes they are successful in the hunt, and sometimes they are not. Many say that hunting is part of the food chain, the natural cycle of life and death. Other forms of hunting might raise more of a concern. Recently, a new type of hunting has been seen happening more frequently, and are referred to as “rigged” or “set up”. Companies that own land want to make a profit off hunters, so they section and fence off areas where certain animals are confined and have no hope of winning the hunt. This way the hunters have almost a perfect chance of a kill, and they will pay money to do so. This is denounced by many avid hunters, but other organizations such as the National Rifle Association support it. The argument arises that it is taking the sport out of it, and adding cruelty and suffering, because the animals don’t have a fair chance. Another section we will review regarding Animal Rights is the experimentation of animals for scientific research. The Animal Welfare Act requires that all laboratories report the number of animals they use in experiments each year. Some experiments have found cures for many diseases and disorders. Other experiments have discovered different medicines for pain. This number, however, does not include mice, rats, or birds. Still, it is estimated that over 15 million animals are used in laboratory testing each year, just in the United States alone. Worldwide, that number is much higher and has reached over 70 million. Many experiments raise arguments and questions over animal rights. Are we justified in using non-humans for research that may help humans? Or is this cruel treatment of other living and feeling beings? We can also look at the laws that protect animals and creatures. The US has many in place like the Marine Mammal Protection Act which protect marine mammals such as sea otters, walruses, seals, polar bears, and manatees from taking and importation. There are also international efforts under way for the protection of endangered animals and their habitats. The UN has launched an Endangered Species Act determines whether certain nation should be able to sell products that come from endangered species such as the ivory from an elephant’s tusk. Although our first goal is usually to help our fellow humans, it is obvious through all of these examples that we also are about the proper treatment of animals. However, we are less sure about the lines that separate what exactly is right and wrong, and what that requires from us, as humans. In order to figure out the moral answers to those questions, we have to look at the ultimate reasons for what we think we can rightly do to animals. We relate and depend on these creatures in many ways. They are our pets, our companions and best friends at times. We form emotional bonds with them in our lifetimes. Many people find pleasure and joy from caring for these creatures, and watching and studying them at zoos in their wildlife habitats. Animals are used for work. Horses, cattle, sheep are all examples of this. Many people have an avid interest in hunting and trapping, and many states and areas in our county live off these types of activities in their economy. Just look at the beef in the Midwest, the seafood of the Northeast, and the sushi off the West Coast. Animals are our main source of food: meat, eggs, fish, and cheese. We use them for clothing: leather, wool, and different kinds of fur. They are used to test the safety and effectiveness of our medical drugs and prescriptions, and also the possible side effects this might cause us. They provide us with medicine aids such as hormones and blood clotting factors. We can also study animal species and threats to them as warnings to our own kind. There is also a vast economic benefit from these non-human animals. Countries and states benefit from fishing and tourism that they bring in. We love animals because of their sources of beauty, wonderment, strength, variety, color, and amazement. These animals are also what we call sentient creatures. They can feel pleasure and pain, and often times reveal very human-like qualities and emotions in their actions and daily lives. Because of this important quality, we are forced to ask ourselves if we are right and just in treating them in all the ways that we do. According to most philosophers, that word sentience is the key to ethical status of animal rights. Others take a very different view and disregard the emotional side of animals and view them more as objects. I will be comparing and contrasting this look into Animal Rights in the following paragraphs regarding the several different ethical theories we have gone over in class. Let’s start with the ethical theory of utilitarianism.