Dispatches - Animal Rights? Your Opinions Please.

[Lakeslad]

Am watching the program about animal activists and was wondering what you thoughts were?

[Mattk]

Im afraid that although testing is cruel it is for the greater good.

I wonder how many activists would refuse treatment for a terminal disease thats treatment has been aided by animal research.

[Lakeslad]

I wonder what the grave robbers would think if one of their family members' bones were removed.

If an animal were hit by or car for example (a complete accident), would that driver then be the target of protesters for been an animal murderer or would he have to endure one of his family members been hit by a car as revenge? Where does one draw the line?

[magentared]

The film maker obviously had an opinion (that these people were a little nuts) and I was trying hard not to be influenced by that and just watch it. However it got very difficult to see them as completly sane people when that old women said she wanted to blow up the building!! The daughter seem sensible though and recognised that things like stealing remains and bombs and attacking people's home was possibly doing more harm to the cause than good.

[Lakeslad]

Thats true! She is admiting to a possible act of terrorism - On national television??? She is willing to take lives for her cause How can someone like be called sane?

As for the daughter I couldn't understand how her spine problem had any influence on the animals? How her been treated were a cause for animal to be harmed? How about her sitting on an animals back? Is that not cruel for the horse? It was not put on the earth for people to sit on. She should now be punished for animal cruelty! Maby we should find where her family is buried and remove the bones?

[Vivacia]

You need to remember that these are the extremists, alot of animal rights campaigners do not use violence or break the law, you just don't hear as much about the more peaceful campaigners in the media.

Mattk - As far as your comment stating animal testing is for the greater good this is simply not true. greater good for who? certainly not the animals and if you mean humans than you are also wrong;

http://www.buav.org/faqs.html

take a look at the link it explains why animal testing is dangerous for humans and also answers other FAQ's with regards to misconceptions surrounding animal testing

[Lakeslad]

At what point do you become an extremist?

[TEAK36]

Here we go again!

Lakeslad, you should read LightofTruthes thread about the rights of animals.Currently stands 157 answers.It opened my eyes to a lot of things that I was unaware of.

Even after reading all 157 answers, I still feel that testing on animals is a necessary evil.

[jenky]

It seemed to me that the people featured all had different motivations; some loved animals, some hated people involved with cruelty, some hated authority, some courted publicity, others just needed to belong to a cause.
The angry mother harboured such guilt over what her daughter had gone through as a child she had to have someone to blame. She added no rational argument to the debate at all.

[Mattk]

Vivacia....in your opinion I am wrong.The link you post is against animal testing so gives a totally un-balanced viewpoint.

This subject is always going to be highly controversial and although i would concede that many experiments are pointless and unnecessary there are a great many that DO aid mankind.

[dawnI]

Don't agree with testing for cosmetics etc, but for medical testing its a necessary evil.