There has been a long history of medical experimentation on animals. Many people believed that animals who are genetically similar to humans could help find cures to various diseases. However, there are many previous examples show that medicines display no negative effects on animals, yet have detrimental effects on humans’ body. The belief of the advantages of medical research continues to be spread. Rhesus macaques are one of the most common animals used in medical experiments as their genetic sequences are highly similar to humans. From a general perspective, it might be argued that medical research is a billion-dollar industry which putting it in Grant’s (2006) point of “money drives cruelty toward animals.” From an intersectional critical
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Similarly, as discussed above, a close focus on the suffering causes them to neglect the possible pleasure that animals could experience (Balcombe, 2009). However, by taking a step back and looking at the greater picture, it is obvious that the environments are substantially damaged as well, and it eventually affects human beings. Through the historical perspective, it mainly looks at the vivisection of animals. Another side of medical research is drug testing, which is also known as toxicity testing. Due to the genetic similarity of humans and rhesus macaques, they are often used in drugs testing for a human disease. Depending on the disease that is being studied and the drug that is being developed, the animals are often placed on a dose for several months or even years to determine the short- and long-term effects of the potential drug (Groff, Bachli, Lansdowne, & Capaldo, 2014). Besides, there are numerous chemicals involved in the process for sterilization and animal care purposes. These chemical uses are often irrelevant to the actual study, but it creates a toxic environment for both the animals and the human researchers involved (Groff et al, 2014). This might be argued by Torres (2007), an exploitation of the researchers as they are required to intake the chemicals while studying the animals. After the completion of the study, the macaques and the toxic chemicals are disposed of which lead to air, water, and soil pollution (Groff et al, 2014). Because of a large amount of energy that is required to keep the environment “liveable” for the animals, it demands a large supply of fresh air which causes carbon emissions. Improper disposition of chemical wastes leads to soil contamination by increasing the level of the toxic chemicals in the soil (Groff et al, 2014). The toxicity testing that eventually
Similarly, as discussed above, a close focus on the suffering causes them to neglect the possible pleasure that animals could experience (Balcombe, 2009). However, by taking a step back and looking at the greater picture, it is obvious that the environments are substantially damaged as well, and it eventually affects human beings. Through the historical perspective, it mainly looks at the vivisection of animals. Another side of medical research is drug testing, which is also known as toxicity testing. Due to the genetic similarity of humans and rhesus macaques, they are often used in drugs testing for a human disease. Depending on the disease that is being studied and the drug that is being developed, the animals are often placed on a dose for several months or even years to determine the short- and long-term effects of the potential drug (Groff, Bachli, Lansdowne, & Capaldo, 2014). Besides, there are numerous chemicals involved in the process for sterilization and animal care purposes. These chemical uses are often irrelevant to the actual study, but it creates a toxic environment for both the animals and the human researchers involved (Groff et al, 2014). This might be argued by Torres (2007), an exploitation of the researchers as they are required to intake the chemicals while studying the animals. After the completion of the study, the macaques and the toxic chemicals are disposed of which lead to air, water, and soil pollution (Groff et al, 2014). Because of a large amount of energy that is required to keep the environment “liveable” for the animals, it demands a large supply of fresh air which causes carbon emissions. Improper disposition of chemical wastes leads to soil contamination by increasing the level of the toxic chemicals in the soil (Groff et al, 2014). The toxicity testing that eventually