I am concerned about animal rights. That might not be important to most people, but it is to me. Why do animals have fewer rights than people? We are all living creatures.

People know how there are medicines to help us, but how did doctors and scientists make sure the drugs were safe? The answer: by testing the drugs on animals. Some animals even die during the testing of a drug. There are also animals, such as dogs, monkeys, sheep, goats, ferrets and mice, that are used in cruel experiments. I read from an article called “Burns and Mutilates,” that experiments at the University of Texas involved animals’ bodies being burned to death, mutilated and cut open. That is horrible and needs to be stopped.

Animals are also harmed in different ways. It isn’t just cruel experiments that hurt or kill innocent animals, it is people abusing them, too. As stated in the article, “Animal Liberation and Rights,” people who abuse animals tend to be cruel to other people.

That should stop, so people don’t hurt other people and animals.

Animal cruelty and experimentation should be stopped. Scientists can find other ways to test if a drug is safe.

Instead of any person being able to just buy a pet from a pet store, the buyer should have to be interviewed to show he or she is going to care for the pet and not hurt it.

People must be made aware of the problem, so that it can be stopped.

Ashleigh Jackson, student, Auburn Middle School