Animal Welfare vs. Animal Rights
A commonly
held myth (pdf) is that all animal lovers support the animal rights
movement. This myth is based on a misunderstanding of the difference
between animal welfare and animal rights.
Animal Welfare
The American Veterinary Medical Association defines
animal welfare as "a human responsibility that encompasses
all aspects of animal well-being, from proper housing and nutrition
to preventive care, treatment of disease, and when necessary, humane
euthanasia."
Scientists and laboratory veterinarians are firmly
committed to animal welfare. The American Association for Laboratory
Animal Science (AALAS), an organization dedicated to advancing responsible
care and use of laboratory animals, was founded before
there were any federal laws regulating animal research. The Association
for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International
(AAALAC), established in 1965, is a private nonprofit organization
that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through
a voluntary accreditation program. There are over 600 organizations
worldwide accredited by AAALAC.
Not only do scientists recognize and honor their
moral obligations toward laboratory animals, they also recognize
the scientific necessity of healthy animals. Poor animal care results
in unreliable research data. For results to be valid, animal subjects
must be in good condition and appropriately healthy. Also, pain
and distress are thought to have a negative impact on the immune
system, so researchers are careful to protect their animals from
undue stress.
In the words of Dr.
Michael DeBakey, "These scientists, veterinarians, physicians,
surgeons and others who do research in animal laboratories are as
much concerned about the care of their animals as anyone can be.
Their respect for the dignity of life and compassion for the sick
and disabled, in fact, is what motivated them to search for ways
of relieving the pain and suffering caused by diseases."
Animal Rights
In contrast to animal welfare and animal protection
advocates, who recognize that it is necessary to treat animals humanely
and responsibly, animal rights activists believe that animals should
have the same rights as humans do. Michael W. Fox, former vice president
of the Humane Society of the United States, put it in this way:
"The life of an ant and that of my child should be granted
equal consideration."
Many animal activists oppose the animal research in any form, for
any purpose.
Ingrid Newkirk, the co-founder and president of
PETA, said "There is no rational basis for saying that a human
being has special rights. A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. They
are all mammals." Peter Singer,
the philosopher widely credited for being the "father"
of the animal rights movement, argued in Animal Liberation that
"An animal experiment cannot be justifiable unless the experiment
is so important that the use of a brain-damaged human would be justifiable."
Alex Pacheco, the co-founder of PETA,
said "We feel that animals have the same rights as a retarded
human child, because they are equal mentally in terms of dependence
on others."
The animal rights movement is dedicated to ending
all animal research, no matter how many human and animal lives might
be saved. Tom Regan, a philosopher and animal rights proponent,
wrote in The Philosophy of Animal Rights, "It is not larger,
cleaner cages that justice demands ... but empty cages."
Ingrid Newkirk, the president of PETA, has said she is even opposed
to painless research. "If the
death of one rat cured all diseases, it wouldn't make any difference
to me," said Chris DeRose, founder of Last Chance for Animals.
The Foundation for Biomedical Research urges you
to dismiss the propaganda of activists opposed to animal research.
Like the scientific community, we support animal welfare and the
humane and responsible involvement of animals in medical research,
for which there are currently no viable alternatives.
See also: Welfare vs. Rights F.A.Q.
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