FBLA Business Ethics Competition About Animal Testing
Beth: Imagine having the choice of life or death left in your hands alone. On one end, there is a rat, who is energetically running to find a hiding spot from the broom sweeping across the floor. On the other end, there is a stay-at-home mom, jumped up on the table, violently screaming at the rat in attempts to scare it away from her. One of them will die. Most people would choose to save the stay-at-home mother with three children and not have a guilty thought cross their mind. But what if the rat died for a purpose? What if scientists were able to gain access to this rat, and it led to the discovery of a vaccine for AIDS or even cancer?
Jake: Good afternoon. I am Jake Derry, and I have come here today with my associates, Veronica Moore and Beth Zinkhan, in hopes of working together to evaluate the ethical dimensions of animal testing in American business. In our domestic business community, one of the hardest tasks is to separate personal and business ethics. Business ethics plays an enormous role in animal testing and business relations, as the business must ensure that their practices are beneficial, legal, and moral.
Veronica: Animal testing has been proven to benefit businesses for decades. When companies are planning to release a product, they must ensure the safety through animal testing before attempting human trials. Animal research determines toxicity, optimum dosage, and potential side effects. Before a pharmaceutical product’s release, toxicity levels must be tested. If the product causes any harmful effect on the animal, it will not go into human trials, according the Food and Drug Administration’s strict protocol. This protects human participants.
Beth: Not only is animal testing a form of protection, it is a way of discovery for humans. Animal studies have led to the discovery of dialysis, life-support machines, asthma inhalers, kidney transplants, heart transplants, chemotherapy, and the list goes on. More recently, the drug Gleevec was discovered in 2001 thanks to animal testing. This drug is the cure for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). It has increased the survival rate from 17% to 89% in the past five years, according to the Chemistry of Cures website. However, while the benefits are astounding, the legal aspects must also be followed in order to ensure an ethical way of business.
Jake: The only law regarding animal testing is the Animal Welfare Act. The Animal Welfare Act has many loopholes and is, moreover, a weak legislation. Surprisingly, rats, mice, birds and cold-blooded creatures, which make up nearly 99% of tested animals in the US, are unprotected by the Animal Welfare Act, according to statistics from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Furthermore, the legislation does not completely protect the included animals from abusive practices, because these federal laws are not well-enforced.
Veronica: In 2012 and 2013, the USDA found the Yerkes Primate Center non-compliant on the negligent deaths of three monkeys. In a routine inspection on July 19, 2012, the USDA investigated the death of two monkeys who suffered fatal wounds after being placed in the incorrect enclosure and another monkey euthanized after a rubber band became embedded in the monkey’s wrist. Still, the Yerkes Primate Center was not fined. As demonstrated by this case, potential violation has little risk to any corporation. Animal cruelty legislation requires the use of analgesics during painful testing. Furthermore, the FDA Drug Approval Process requires animal testing of potential drugs. But, does this follow the moral guidelines of the business community?