While we all do understand that we can’t progress in science, engineering, economics, mathematics, nursing, medicine and in life as human beings without the need for research. There is the need to do research for good purposes but not for the making of nuclear weapons and toxic chemicals to destroy our environment. Break through in science and engineering has lead the United States and Russia to be at the fore front of Space Science. Scientific research has lead major companies to discover vaccines and drugs for diseases such as Polo, TB.There is also now the talk about the moral and ethical concerns about stem cell research especially the cloning of human parts and animals.Currently most medical and scientific research is done using mice. Researches have found a gene, Par-4, in the prostate of mice, which actually suppresses the growth of tumors. The study found that mice born with this gene do not develop tumors. They grow normally, have no defects and actually live a few months longer than the control animals. The gene can also be found in other cells within mice. Scientists injected the gene into eggs, and then implanted them into surrogate mothers. With this after sometime there is a mice offspring, which possess enough carbon copy of the gene to resist cancer growth. How nice it will be if we develop treatment through this technique to cure people with the various forms of cancer. However, it is not yet known if this same gene exists in humans, or if another version from mice can be transplanted into humans to create the same cancer-resistant behavior.This will greatly be a cure for traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy. This will therefore need an extensive animal as well as human testing to fully observe the benefits and side effects of the gene. This is basically genetic engineering or gene splicing. With all these research activities comes with the ethical debate and concerns again? In this vein some animal and human subjects have to die in the process of researching a cure. This has given rise to the sale of human parts and the abduction of humans or human trafficking in certain countries, though this practice is cruel and evil.If we can save the lives of millions of people on our planet especially those suffering from HIV/AIDS, Cancer, Stroke, Alzheimer’s, Spinal Cord Injuries and others at the cost of just a relatively few, then that would indeed be the greatest benefit for civilization and mankind.
Posted By: Benjamin Yaw Atsem
Sources:
Myers, Lauren“Animal testing necessary in medical research”Issue date: 11/6/07
Section.http://media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2007/11/06/Opinions/Animal.Testing.Necessary.In.Medical.Research-3080864.shtml
“Researchers Say They Have Created Cancer-Resistant 'Super Mouse”
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,313461,00.html
“Animal testing a necessary research tool, for now”
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/viewpoints/articles/0903poste0903.html
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
While I do acknowledge that animal testing has resulted in so medical breakthroughs, I do believe animal testing is overused and cruel. I do not believe that it is right to have an animal suffer and die for the purposes making a new perfume or the development of a new cosmetic. Recently the technological advancements in the fields of computer simulation and research have been dramatic. Perhaps now instead of having to raise and kill animals for the sake of medical research, we can begin to use these simulations. This way we can still perform our research and not have to harm innocent animals (not matter what the animal may be) in the name of science.
Animal research and experimentation have always been a basic component of scientific progress especially in pharmaceutical and medical domain.
Despite the giant progress of modern science, alternative methods to animal experimentation are not yet efficient in all cases. Therefore the basic question should be what are the moral limits when dealing with animal experimentation?
Some people say that moral principles are an invention of human society to organize relations between humans only and therefore do not apply to our relation to animals. But moral principles aimes to rule and regulate life in general. No one could resist the compassion caused by looking at the eyes of a suffering animal. In fact animals suffer and endure bad pains as humans do. It may be acceptable to say that human life has greater intrinsic value than animal life, but this shouldn’t be an excuse to abuse animal. Heavy restrictions must be imposed on animal research. Moreover, animal will be used only when there is no other alternative and it is impossible at present situation to discover a new efficent one.
Testing drugs and food products on animals is a necessary part of the human need to survive. If history has taught mankind anything, it is that we have to test new ideas and experiment so that we are sure that the new ideas are not dangerous and/or harmful to other people. The best way to accomplish this task is to test on animals before attempts are made on humans. If one looks at the situation a little differently, it may become easier to see. Consider how many small animals, mice, squirrels, etc. are killed by traps or end up road kill every day. Animals die everyday and most people don’t know about it, much less care. The only difference between a mouse dying in a lab versus one which met its end on a roadway is that we learned another small piece of information about nature and science, something we can apply to our own survival. It would be silly to cease animal testing just because it makes some people feel bad. The entire human race has the potential to benefit so much more from the gained knowledge, small as it may be. While some may consider animal testing “unethical”, I see it as necessary for our everyday economic survival and more essentially our survival as a people.
Best Casinos Near Reno (Nevada) - Mapyro
The Wynn 전라남도 출장샵 casino is 경산 출장마사지 a high-end 전라북도 출장샵 hotel that offers gaming and luxury 보령 출장마사지 with 경기도 출장샵 a Rooms and Suites. 1,600 square feet; 4,200 slot machines.
Post a Comment