• Question: do you think that testing on animals to cure cancer is acceptable? i.e do you think that humans rank is higher than animals?

    Asked by limalollie to Laura, Lily, Mark, Paul, Sarah on 18 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Mark Roberts

      Mark Roberts answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      I don’t think we are ‘higher’ as it were but I do believe in the greatest good for the greatest many so if there are things we can learn form a small number of animal experiments that will save lives then I think they are worth doing.

      Though only if it will save lives / provide new cures. We shouldn’t use them to test out cosmetics etc.

    • Photo: Lily Asquith

      Lily Asquith answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      This is such a good question. it’s something I’ve talked about to lots of different people.

      Right now, yes, I think a human’s ‘rank’ is higher than an animal’s (although when it some to primates such as chimpanzees I’m not so sure.)

      If I strip this question right down to the most basic level:

      Would I sacrifice an animal for a chance to cure my daughter’s illness? (She doesn’t have an illness, but if she did) The answer is “Yes, of course.” I can’t actually think of anything I would not do to protect my child.

      I don’t eat meat, but I wouldn’t think twice about killing an animal and eating it if it was a matter of life and death.

    • Photo: Laura Maliszewski

      Laura Maliszewski answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      Well, I’m not sure those are the same question. I do think that testing on animals helps medical research to save people, and I do think that people are more important than animals.

      For most medical research though, what is found doesn’t just help people. So if you find an anti-cancer drug using rabbits for the experiment, then it may be that that drug also treats cancer in rabbits, mice, cats, dogs horses, cows etc and can be used to treat cancer in your pets and livestock as well.

    • Photo: Sarah Bardsley

      Sarah Bardsley answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      I would love for some alternative technology to exist that makes animal testing unnecessary but at the moment that its a reality. I think animal testing for finding cancer treatments is acceptable. The UK has some strict laws in place to make sure this performed with high standards. What is not acceptable is the use of animal testing for things like cosmetics which sadly happens in place around the world.

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