It seems my view on this subject fits in well with the ideas of "minimalists" rather than "abolitionists," but after watching this video and hearing about the unnecessary ways that animals are being treated, it makes me question if whether certain experiments are really worth the pain and discomfort (in regard of the animals). There are plenty of other videos that I've seen, like this one for example, that show the harsh conditions they must endure across an array of laboratories. Even with those kind of shocking stories, I ultimately feel that drug testing on animals should continue, but with a more strict set of rules/guidelines and alternatives like experimenting on human cell cultures and computer simulations which aim to test treatments (two options that were mentioned in the first video above). I think that direction might be where research is headed, if not, then it will be interesting to see where animal testing does lead to in the future.
In addition to watching the same video from before, the violence and degree of threat stemming from protesters against experimental laboratories and the researchers in particular, really grabbed my attention. Scientists should not have to worry about finding explosives under their cars or the safety of their families. I can understand what abolitionists are fighting for, but some of them are crossing the line with such behavior. Notice how I said "some" because I know that not all protesters behave in such an extreme manner. Nonetheless, there is uneasy balance that is felt among the two groups, but behaving like an actual human being and showing respect towards one another could possibly be one way to minimize the tension over such a heated debate.
