Picture credit: Shpernik088 - CC0
Animal testing is still largely used in scientific research, despite years of protests.
In a small windowless laboratory in Tokyo, a Marmoset Monkey gazes around the room, its hands shaking uncontrollably. It has Parkinson’s disease, a chronic illness that starves the brain of Dopamine, slowly eroding communication between the brain and the limbs. But this monkey didn’t contract Parkinson’s by chance – it was genetically engineered to develop it by a team of scientists. This monkey, and many thousands like it, will live a miserable, unfair existence of pain and suffering that will eventually end on the autopsy table.
Many justify this cruelty with the suggestion that an animal’s lack of philosophical consciousness leaves them outside the ethical plain, meaning we have no moral obligation to protect their rights and are thus free to use them to our advantage. This is wrong – with power comes responsibility, and it is our duty to protect animals. But we also have a duty to protect our own species. And in cases like this, that comes down to prioritisation.
By what justice should a monkey be killed for our benefit? Well, by what justice should a 40-year-old mother contract Alzheimers, rendering her unable to recognise her own children? The answer to both is none. Once we enter the realm of illness, disease and death, we are in an evil place. It’s about harnessing that evil, managing it and making use of it as best we can. It may seem cold and heartless, but it is a simple choice we face – human or animal.
It may seem cold and heartless, but it is a simple choice we face – human or animal
In the hypothetical scenario that a monkey was killed so that two humans were able to live, there’s a logical - if distressing - reason to say that it was worth it. The reality of course is much less morally troubling. There are 1000 Marmosets that will be used for testing in the whole of Japan. 6.2 million people were diagnosed with Parkinsons worldwide in 2015.
As a direct result of the Japanese scientist’s research, they were able to find a new drug, L-DOPA, which helps to cure Parkinson’s in humans. Eventually, this type of research could stop your father, mother, uncle or daughter from developing the disease, too. If you’re still against animal testing, just wait until it’s your relative who’s dying. Wait until your clear, considered thoughts are clouded by the storm of human emotion, and then ask yourself – human or animal?
Tom Bennett