1. How would you define bioethics?

- I would define it as the ethics of medical and biological research.

2. Is the raising, killing, and eating of other sentient animals by humans an ethical or moral
issue, or both?

- The raising, killing, and eating of other sentient animals by humans is a moral
issue because it’s what we believe to be right or wrong.

3. What is sentience?

- Sentience is something that has the power of perception and awareness.

4. Suppose you have a calf with a fatal illness, such as BVD (bovine viral diarrhea). The
animal doesn’t look too bad yet, but you are certain that it will die in months. Which of
the following scenarios would you think would be in way of dealing with the situation- (a)
take it as soon as possible to a live auction and sell it, (b) let it die naturally, (c)kill it
humanly, (d) take it to a veterinarian for possible treatment or to be euthanized?

- I would try to take it to a veterinarian first and see if there are any possible
treatments, but if there isn’t then I would believe it’s best for it to be euthanized,
so that the animal can go peacefully and humanely.

5. Is it ethical to slaughter animals in view of other animals, or does it not matter because
the others are just going to die anyway? Can the other animals (eg, cattle) perceive
impending death-do they really know what’s about to happen to them? Even if they do,
does it matter?

- I’m not sure if animals can perceive death like humans do. Most likely they aren’t
certain or aware of what’s about to happen, so it doesn’t really matter. However, if
they can perceive impending death, then I would say it does matter.

6. Why is a human life more valuable than that of a chimpanzee? Which life is more
valuable: that of a chimpanzee or a cow? Why?

- I feel like humans believe that other human lives are more valuable than animals,
such as a chimpanzee, because we are much more sentient than animals are.
We have a greater perception of life and awareness of everything that goes on
around us, while animals may not really have that ability. With this logic it would
mean that the life of a chimpanzee is more valuable than a cow because they
have a higher awareness of things that occur rather than cows do.
7. What is an ethologist?

- An ethologist is someone who studies animal behavior.

8. Is it obvious that animals feel pain when being dehorned, branded, or castrated. Does it
matter if they experience pain? What alternatives are there to reduce or eliminate this
type of painful experience?

- I feel like it is obvious that animals feel pain when they are dehorned, branded, or
castrated because they will show it with their body language and vocalization. It
might not matter if they experience pain since most of these processes happen
when they are still babies, so they’ll grow up and possibly forget the pain (I don’t
know for certain). However, we can use our knowledge of medicine to help the
animal relax, kind of how humans use anesthesia to minimize our pain when it
comes to medical procedures.

9. What is an aviary system for housing laying hens?

- An aviary system for housing laying hens is a multi-level system that provides
feed, water, and a nest.

10. What is the difference between the animal welfare movement and the animal rights
movement? What is an animal rights extremist?

- The difference is that the animal welfare movement is concerned about the
quality of animal lives and minimizing animal suffering while the animal rights
movement is focused on the argument of whether humans should or shouldn't be
using animals. Animal rights extremists are people who firmly believe that we
should not be using animals for our own needs or wants and want to end all
human usages of animals such as keeping pets, zoo animals, lab animals, and
more.

11. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Peter Rabbit, and Bambi are examples of
anthropomorphism. What is the role of anthropomorphism in animal welfare and animal
right debates?

- Often animal rights concerns are raised by people who mentally place
themselves in the position of an animal and reinforce the human-animal
connection by displaying empathy towards animal companions.
12. Do animals have rights at all? If so, what are they?

- Animals do have rights. They have the right to freedom from thirst, hunger, and
malnutrition, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury, and disease,
freedom to express normal behavior, and freedom from fear and distress.

13. Do farm animals differ in intelligence? If so, does it matter? Explain.

- Farm animals do differ in intelligence because they have more spatial abilities
and can form maps of their environment than other animals. So, it does matter
because if some animals have more awareness for their environment, then they
should be treated in such a way where they have a nice and peaceful
environment.

14. When ducks are raised for meat, should they have access to water for swimming?
Defend your answer.

- I believe they should have access to swimming because while ducks can live
without swimming, swimming boosts their happiness and quality of life , and
therefore also produces better products.

15. Do you eat meat? If so, would you eat horse, dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig, or rat meat,
assuming that the animals had been raised under sanitary conditions? If not, why not?
(These animals are all used for food sources in various cultures.)

- I do eat meat, but I wouldn’t eat horse, dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig, or rat meat
because different animals have different tasting meat, so there is a possibility that
I wouldn’t like the meat from those animals. Also, some cows are specifically
raised for milk and meat and horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs are
mostly raised to be companion animals, so they aren’t specifically raised for meat
purposes and rats tend to have an unhealthy kind of meat, so I definitely wouldn’t
eat it.

16. Some people use the term “other animals” instead of “animals”. What reasons might they
have for doing this?

- Well, humans are considered mammals too, so with this we could also be
considered animals and refer to non-human species as “other animals”.

17. Assume you are a vegetarian. Is it ethical for you to eat a transgenic tomato that
contains genes from cows? Explain.

- If I was a vegetarian that would mean that I wouldn’t eat meat and I would be
opposed to specifically just meat from any kind of animal, but eating something
 that contains genes from a cow is different because it’s not meat, so it would be
ethical. However, maybe if I was vegan then that would be unethical.

18. What is Frankenstein syndrome?

- The Frankenstein Syndrome is the public perception that science and technology
are running amok, with potentially bellish consequences of a wrecked planet
populated by genetically engineered monsters.

19. Is genetic engineering morally wrong? If so, should it be stopped? If so, by whom?

- Genetic engineering isn’t morally wrong and I don’t think it should be stopped
because it’s a powerful technology that has been helping with the acceleration of
evolution. I think scientists should just make sure that they have a strong handle
on this technology, so that it doesn’t go rogue or fall into undesired hands.

20. Suppose you are a farmer. On your farm there is a grove of oak trees; the trees are
about 250 years in age. The grove occupied about one acre of land. You decide you
want to increase the size of your tomato patch and will cut down the oak trees for
firewood. The neighbors hear about your plans, and protestors chain themselves to
some of your trees. You regard this as an invasion of your personal property- you have
the right to do whatever you want with these trees because you own them and pay
property taxes. Discuss.

- I do believe that the protestors are in the wrong here because, while I do admire
that they care about the trees, they are my trees and can do whatever I want with
my property. If I wish to cut down some trees to increase the size of my tomato
patch then I should be able to do that and the protestors have no say in it. Also, it
might not be a terrible idea to call the police since, technically, they are
trespassing.

21. Compare liberal and post liberal positions on gender equality.

- The liberal approach to gender issues is the basic premise that "all persons are
created equal "; women, as autonomous, rational agents, have the same natural
rights as men. Postliberal feminism asserts that men and women are not equal,
but different, and recognizes that there are characteristics typical of each gender
that are different but equally valuable.

22. What accounts for the rapid increase in the number of female veterinarians?

- There are few things that account for an increase of female veterinarians. Gender
discrimination in applications to veterinary schools has been eliminated, the
desirability of the profession for women has increased because of the caring
 image the profession has projected to the public through popular books and TV
programs, and employers might prefer to hire women instead of men.

23. Is “ethical vegetarianism” an oxymoron?

- Ethical vegetarianism is unethical which makes the phrase an oxymoron.

24. What is meant by the term “green pig”?

- “Green pig” is used to describe a system of pork production that is "animal

25. Are you a student at a land grant institution? Is the land grant concept obsolete? Explain.

- I am not a student at a land grant institution. The land grant concept is obsolete
because most land-grant schools became large state universities that offer a full
spectrum of educational and research purposes.

26. Many universities are experiencing budgetary difficulties. One way of improving their
financial situation is to form partnerships or arrangements with transnational
corporations, such as the Cargill Higher Education Initiative. Discuss the advantages and
disadvantages of this type of arrangement for the companies and for the university
faculty and students.

- The Cargill initiative will fund faculty internships and send students overseas to
learn more about international agribusiness. The long-term effects of such
arrangements on academic freedom, objectivity of research, and so on raise
some concerns.

27. Discuss the contention of Davis (2001) that a vegan diet is unethical because it results in
the death of large numbers of “animals of the field”.

- Davis has a point in his argument because more animals and subjects of a life
are killed when food crops are produced.

28. If blind chickens are better and more efficient egg layers than normal chickens, do you
think that the poultry industry, if left to follow efficiency and economics, would blind
female chicks at hatching with a hot iron?

- I don’t think that the poultry industry would blind their chicks with a hot iron
because that seems very unethical and extremely harmful to the animal, but they
might find some other ways to genetically alter their eyesight.