Ethics of going to college with animal testing

Vegan Talk
1

I had a bit of an ethical concern which has been bothering me for awhile and I was interested in finding out some other peoples take on it if possible.

Shortly I should be transferring to another college to finish my undergraduate degree, and I have found myself concerned about the animal testing that is done by many universities. For the colleges I’m considering, one of them seems to do less animal testing than the other. However the other university is much more prestigeous, and both of them are seemingly non-private and state supported (although different systems, one being a UC and the other a CSU)

I find myself uncertain as to wether or not it would be meaningful or more ethical to attend the one with less animal testing, or if the fact they are both large public unversities, and that both likely do some amount of animal testing, makes it a realitively meaingless gesture that doesn’t really help anyone. After all it seems more likely that one could influence change at a school one attends and a more prestigous college could perhaps help me to assist animals better in the future.

Still I’m not looking for an excuse, but just some ethical perspectives, as to whether or not I might be supporting animal testing if I go to the other school, or if it really doesn’t matter or…?

Anyways I appreciate any thoughts others might have.

2

Hi! That’s a tough one :slight_smile: I lived with a girl at Uni in this exact position. On her course she dissected animals and in her free time she was president of the animal rights society! It seems a little at odds, but actually she was in a unique position to have an informed discussion about animal testing, dissection and vegetarianism. I think that once you have a good education at a prestigious school, you will have the knowledge and contacts to influence some real changes and find viable alternatives to animal testing.

3

It’s probably better to go the better university and start educating other students about what happens there.

4

Scientists from the University of California, LA, found in a recent study of freshman students that price is a huge factor in university selection. It should be. Tuition is going up along with debt loads and unemployment for recent grads. Get a cash advance to pay for your extra school costs. It is not easy paying for your tuition fees if you don’t have enough money in your savings account. You will surely need help financially. If you need help, try availing a cash advance and you will be able to pay yor tuition fee this semester.

5

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (pcrm.org has been working to eliminate research on non-human animals for decades, and addresses the issue of class room teaching methods.

They will even suggest experts in this field who can come to your school to debate anyone on animal research.

I also address the issue in several of my own books.