 “Whadya think, Fred. Ya buyin’ this?” |
With “hormone-free”, “cage-free” and “antibiotic-free” becoming common labels on our supermarket shelves, might “pain-free” be the next sticker slapped onto a rump roast?
As unlikely as that may seem, progress in neuroscience and genetics in recent years makes it a very real possibility. In fact, according to one philosopher, we have an ethical duty to consider the option.
“If we can’t do away with factory farming, we should at least take steps to minimise the amount of suffering that is caused,” says Adam Shriver, a philosopher at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri. In a provocative paper published this month, Shriver contends that genetically engineered pain-free animals are the most acceptable alternative (Neuroethics, DOI: 10.1007/s12152-009-9048-6). “I’m offering a solution where you could still eat meat but avoid animal suffering.”
[…]
Progress in understanding and manipulating the molecular and genetic bases for pain means ethics and economics, not technical feasibility, may end up determining whether Shriver’s proposal becomes a reality.
We could just go for the “rip their throats out” approach that happens in the rest of the natural world.
They drive a pneumatic steel bolt directly through the skull, and then slice the throat. I don’t think the animal has a lot of time to suffer. The injured animals they have to drag to the slaughter house no doubt do. You can’t change a culture over night. I watched my father-in-law kill hogs with a .22 pistol. They always dropped dead because he knew how to do it. He shot through the medulla. It also kept lead out the brains, but you still had to pick through them for stray bone and lead.
Time for another involved discussion grounded in ignorance.
“Pain-free”? Guess this “philosopher” knows nothing of animal physiology.
Neuropathy – which is what he’s suggesting – would serve no useful purpose, is antithetical to naturally determining a focus or locus of illness, and is considered a disease or ailment – not a benefit.
Uh, ask a diabetic about the “wonders” of neuropathy.
Wouldn’t “pain free” give people license to treat the animals worse while they are alive? This is not the way to give the cows a higher quality of life. Also, in agreement with #2.
Honestly, I couldn’t care less what PETA thinks. I think most PETA members could use a pneumatic steel bolt directly through the skull themselves. Why does anyone still listen to those idiots at all?
I’m a member of a different branch of PETA.
People
Eat
Tasty
Animals
#5 – You round them up. I’ll supply the steal bolt.
#6, A steel bolt is faster and less cruel than raising an animal from birth that feels no pain. The injuries and infections alone would be reason not to do this. Pain keeps us and animals from injuring themselves. Cows would lay in a painful position and not know it and it might injure them.
How about we just use them suicidal cows instead?
http://dvorak.org/blog/2009/08/29/suicidal-cows-baffle-scientists/
Am I the only one that thought about Douglas Adams’ Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Would this really put an end to their suffering, or just prevent them from feeling the pain caused by the method in which they are freed from the miserable conditions of a factory farm.
I wouldn’t eat these cows. There’s nothing like the taste of suffering infused into veal to give the meat that extra oommph. Besides, where would I then get the cow tears to wash my meal down with?
Douglas Adams made that joke: a Cow designed to want to be eaten, who offers herself to the customers at the Restaurant at The End of the Universe – a joke on the vegetarian debate.
It´s my opinion that thats wrong in a whole other level, the discussion becomes where shoud we stop tampering with mother nature. It´s no option over mal-treatment of animals…
This is all pretty sick if you ask me – and that includes the comments.
My Mom is suffering year 3 from shingles and is in pain everyday. All the docs can do is give her narcotics to put her to sleep. I’m pushing for “never block” but the experts look at me with a blank stare.
Anyway, for the most of you who have had smallpox in your youth, you are subject to getting shingles. If you take a vaccine, it can be prevented. If not, you risk anything from a short minor inconvenience to a life debilitating chronic condition.
Maybe something from PETA can help my old cow of a mother??? ((But seriously, she still gives good milk.))
Knowledge is power. Hope this helps.
I, too, thought of “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.” IIRC, the cow came to their table and suggested which cuts were tenderest, most flavorful, etc. and then wandered off to the kitchen with a smile on it’s face. Mmmmmm.
Now, if we could just genetically alter PETA people so they, too, would wander into the kitchen with a smile on their faces and volunteer.
I’m in agreement with a couple others above. Quick lobotomy and bleed them dry. No pain. The problem is the anxiety they have when being herded to the abattoir. Instead of wasting money on neuron reassignment therapy, maybe we could just slip a Valium into their final feed.
Wouldn’t it be best in the long run, if we came up with a way to grow meat in a test tube? Or rather a huge vat, like beer? Without the brain and nerve system to deal with. Just some unconscience muscle tissue, for those of us who only like meat with a grain. Otherwise similar protein could be synthesized as a slury, and formed into whatever shape from there. But without much texture, I’m afraid. Still, extra extra lean! And who knows, developing the technology to do this could lead to the spinoff of growing replacement human muscle and organs. Far less expensively, than hoping medical research will get around to doing it from scratch. Anyway, I’d eat a syntho-meat burger. 100% free of Mad Cow disease, and growth hormones.
#16–Glen==go to your local store. Buy every brand of veggie burger they have. I’ll bet you’ll find one you like. But its more expensive. “Meat” is protein and texture. We have had the protein part down for decades. I’m thinking someone just has to put more effort into the texture part===and then work on the price which is probably simply volume related.
I suspect at some point in the future, everything will be just like toothpaste. Healthy, homogenized and acceptable only to those people who know nothing else.
Somewhat off topic, but as a scientist and a tech nerd, I’m always happy to see bloggers and main/semi-mainstream media using DOI to link to the original journal article. Often there are mentions of the article, sometimes with the name of the journal publishing the article, but rarely a full link to download the actual article.
I expected some of the comments, about enjoying the taste of suffering, but did not expect some people to defend “stunning” before “a quick knife cut” to bleed an animal to death.
If you look on youtube, there are many grisly animal death videos, including cases of animals who fall from the chain (“chain” might be a NZ term, the rollercoaster/monorail they hang from that moves throughout the factory) and damage equipment, workers and of course themselves.
Chickens are apparently stunned by electricity to put them out, oh, except for the ones that miss that step.
Really, even if the animals felt absolutely no pain, if we could imagine that they have no idea what is going to happen, I would still be against their pointless deaths.
I dont expect anyone here to go vegan from reading my little comments, I hope you do look into how animals die. Just watch this video, there is NO blood or guts for any meat eaters who are squeamish! The cow at the back clearly knows something bad is going to happen, there is no doubt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHTNq33cXBQ
I’m sure that will fix things for surplus bulls and worn dairy cows, goats ,etc.
Crazy. There is a reason living things can feel pain.