Animal Rights is a relatively new theory put forward by Pete Singer which is interesting but still fairly controversial. Vivisection has been opposed since it started and most of the people who have opposed it over the centuries have either never heard of or do not necessarily subscribe to the concept. I then to think it is a bit of red herring in this debate as no-one had raised it except Gene and that was just to equate the whole anti vivisection argument with it and then oppose a fairly complex concept with a fairly simplistic objection.

I agree generally with the dangers of raising Nazi Germany as an example but as the question of learning disability had been raised along with the question of the value put on different groups of beings by society, i think it was fair and simply objecting to my mentioning it does not answer the argument I was making.

People with severe learning difficulties were experimented on in Nazi Germany. Some at least did not have the capacity to reason, make culture or differentiate between right and wrong. I don't see that the lack of any of these capacities give us the right to inflict suffering for our own ends on a sentient being.