Animals and man have shared this planet since humans first appeared on earth. Animals have provided transportation, food, clothing, shelter, companionship and entertainment through the ages. Therefore, it is our duty to treat animals with respect, care and kindness and not cause them undue suffering, because they have, in many ways, made it possible for man to survive on earth. However, because normal adult humans have superior mental abilities in the hierarchical scale in nature, animals have fewer rights than humans. Consequently, it is our responsibility to support and maintain the animal kingdom (to the best of our ability); therefore helping to preserve them as fellow members or our community of life on earth.There are many differing opinions in the Animal Rights Community. For example, how are animal rights different from the rights of humans? Do we have a right to use animals for our benefit? Do we have a right to use animals for experimentation? Do all animals have equal rights? Do they suffer more at our hands than they would in their natural habitat? These are some of the questions that will be addressed in this paper, and they will be presented fairly.Tom Regan thinks our treatment of animals is wrong and we are guilty of violating their rights. He is committed to several goals: total dissolution of use of animals in science, the dissolution of commercial animal agriculture, and total elimination of commercial sport hunting and trapping. He maintains that our whole system is skewed because we view animals as our resource. We think traditional farming agriculture is acceptable but factory farming is nota toxicity test on animals for cosmetics is wrong, but medical research for cancer is acceptable. Regan does not understand this reasoning because he feels not even a rat or mouse should be used for research. Animals should be viewed as experiencing subjects of life with inherent value of their own. We are g...
