Animal Rights Comparing the Views of Hasselstrom and...

Anna Katherine Giddens Laura Vernon EN 1103-39 24 October 2011 Animal Rights: Comparing the Views of Hasselstrom and Regan Imagine an animal’s feeling of panic and fear as it is about to be killed by a hunter or the isolation experienced as an animal sits in a laboratory, separated from its family and natural habitat, waiting to be harmed by harsh testing methods. Imagine the frightened state of a mother or father watching their innocent baby being captured. After considering the brutality towards animals in these scenarios, take into consideration the health benefits humans receive from different parts of these animals. Imagine health risks avoided through testing on animals first instead of on humans. Does human benefit justify†¦show more content†¦Regan presents a few cases such as those of rabbits, whales, and gibbons physically violated or murdered so that human beings can acquire unessential products. For instance, rabbits are used in cosmetic testing labs where they are held captive, lose their vision, and occasionally die . Rabbits do not have tear ducts so they are used to test harmful products that they cannot flush out of their eyes. Many of these products will result in the destruction of the iris or cornea as well as swelling, redness, or blindness in the eyes. Along with rabbits, whales are also being harmed and killed for unnecessary reasons; they are hunted so that wax, perfume, and soap can be made. Another scenario given by Regan is the hunting of baby gibbons for veal. The difference between the killing of gibbons and the killing of cattle for meat or hide has to do with the method in which they are being killed. Regan makes it very clear that the methods that these animals are killed by are cruel and wrong, whereas Hasselstrom ensures us that, in her case, the cattle she raises are well taken care of and not treated with cruelty. In â€Å"Animal Rights, Human Wrongs,† Regan states that when baby gibbons are captured, their mothers are often killed in the process. After being separated from their mothers at a very young age, the young gibbons are held captive under harsh living conditions. Many die from suffering in their small, dark cells on wooden floors while waiting to be slaughtered. He then