Hey Guys!!
Earlier today I was scrolling down my timeline and noticed a post questioning the necessity of animal testing. Now, as an animal lover, I agree that experiments shouldn't be performed on animals, but I had a problem with his alternative for this: use convicts in prison. This is a foolish solution for many reasons I plan to discuss, and it's important to note that dehumanizing people because we think their previous actions in life were immoral isn't going to reap benefits.
First let's discuss animal testing. There are selected types of animals used such as mice, rats, fish, dogs, chimpanzees, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Now, the purpose of using these specific animals is because their DNA is virtually the same as ours. Mice, whose DNA is 99% identical to a humans, are used the most. No other animal besides the chimpanzee close; so, the question of why use the remaining creatures throws itself into the atmosphere. According to the American Anti-vivisection Society, scientists continue to use the other animals because of tradition. In the early 20th century, present-day research still waited to be discovered. An the excuse to continue was the potential to find more medical and biological innovations. However, the same research has been recreated experimenting with synthetic models. And though model organisms are used to study deadly and foreign diseases, it's important to note that animals respond differently to viruses than humans. And scientist still don't understand those differences yet, which is why experiments using model organisms as the basis fail. Is the hope of discovery more important than the lives of these innocent animals, or do nonhuman organisms simply mean less?
To piggyback the idea of "lives meaning less", I want to now talk about the prisoners. When we think of prisoners, the main images in our head are of rapers, murders, and gang members-victims of the streets life. But not all prisoners are behind bars for heinous crimes. The most recent Federal Bureau of Prisons statistics prove that homicide and rape offenses make up only 11% of the prison population. Drug offenders make up 46%, by far the largest percentage. It's safe to say that the majority of people in jail are druggies and dealers. So, why does the minority overshadow the majority? And with this blind view of convicts, how can we ever help them feel welcomed back into their communities and the American society? We look down on the fallen without trying to learn the story of their shortcomings. Now, there's no way to morally justify actions against the law but crimes don't give us the right to condemn-let alone perform experiments on them. Just because someone's in prison, it doesn't mean they're prisoners. People are fallible. Everyone makes mistakes and suffers their own punishments, but that doesn't mean they're monsters. It means they're human.
There are many absurdities connected to both animal rights and the prison system. I think there are works in progress to adjust the future sentences of people in prison, but there should be more motions for the release of the guinea pigs-well all model organisms-and to find other methods to forge scientific advancement. Bottomline: Animals aren't necessary for biomedical research; prisons serve a purpose, but not every prisoner deserves to be in there for long periods of time. And no matter the act committed, everyone deserves a second chance at life.
I have left links to the American Anti-vivisection Society and well as the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Feedback is encouraged!
AAVS: http://aavs.org/
BOP: https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/
-Vernell Allen
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