Animal Experimentation

Due to animal testing, one animal dies in a laboratory in the United States every second, in Japan every two seconds and in the United Kingdom every twelve seconds. Billions of non-human animals have been burnt, crushed, sliced, electrocuted, poisoned with toxic chemicals, and psychologically tormented because of medical research. Alternatives for these experiments have shown to be less expensive and can be used repeatedly. We are in desperate need of reliable medical research. Why not experiment and receive more accurate finding for our medical needs? Why not use people who didn’t think twice about giving up their so-called human-rights when

Imagine being poked and prodded with a needle, all to test for a new drug against

These vaccines would not exist if animal experimentation were not allowed. Delmas Luedke, a writer for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, expands on the benefits of animal experimentation, including the purpose to develop vaccines:

The usage of animals for developing new cosmetics and educational purposes has been going on for years. Most importantly, over 26 million animals each year are used for medical purposes: biomedical research and clinical research. Why is animal testing such an important factor in the medical field?

There are over 26 million different types of animal being tested on for research each year in the United States. Animals are used for testing every year for human research. Different animals go through serious pain, in order for humans to facilitate growth in different fields of study. Many animals are used in order to study diseases and potential cures for the diseases. New research chemicals are tested on animals with similar structures to humans, to see if the medicine can help with certain diseases. Tons of scientific advancement has taken place because of animal testing. Without animal testing, many diseases would still exist, without a safe way to test for potential cures. The issue at hand is the type of treatment that animals have to endure because of the different testing methods. They are treated very poorly, go through intense suffering, and normally have very poor living conditions. A pro to animal testing is that many cures and different medicines have been developed through animal testing. Without animal testing, many diseases would still exist without cures. Secondly, animals have a much shorter life span than humans do, so scientists can study the results through the whole life span of the animal. With humans, it is hard to do a full test because we have such high lifespans, while animals tend to live a lot less longer. Thirdly, many animals have been saved because of animal testing. Many diseases animals deal with now have vaccines and cures, as a result of animal testing. Without it, many animals would have rabies or other types of virus that can be detrimental to the animal’s health. On the contrary, a con to animal testing would be the pain many animals go through as a result of the testing. The tests are experimental, so we don’t know exactly what the chemical drug will do to the animal. Many cases have turned bad and many animals have died as a result, or gone through extensive pain. Next, there are many alternative methods of experimental testing that doesn’t require animals. As a result, why are we still using animals for testing when there are other ways to do it. Finally, animals are different from humans, so they make poor testing subjects. We can’t know for sure how the research

The testing of animals in scientific and commercial research has been debated for many years. Some people view animals as companions or part of the family, but others think of them as a way to advance medicine by providing researchers with a means to develop better medical techniques, discovering vaccines, and helping to find a cure for a disease. Regardless of how a person may view animals, they are worthy of better protection by our government and us as a society. Although some animal testing has been successful, there are research alternatives that could eliminate the pain, suffering, and deaths that animals endure in scientific research. Therefore, animals should not be used in scientific research

We often see animal testing as an inhumane act of cruelty, however, we do not recognize the benefits and reasoning behind it all. After carefully studying the reasoning behind animals in medical research, I was appalled by the numerous beneficial outcomes. Research professionals tells us “Medical testing on animals has provided humans with an understanding of how body reacts to certain medications, diseases, or vaccines (animalresearch.info).” Without conducting such research, humans would have no further advancements in medicine, nor any knowledge of their effects. Have you ever noticed the prominence of commercials advertising a new medication? Whether it was a new birth control, blood thinner, or vaccine, more than likely, an animal was used to test the medicine. Animal Smart researchers explains how “Vaccines such as smallpox, measles, mumps, diphtheria and tetanus would have taken much longer to develop without the use of animal research (animal smart). Such diseases would have taken the lives of many young children and adults if there were no

For thousands of years animals have been used as research subjects, but with the advancement of science and society, animal experimentation has morphed into a controversial bioethics topic. Animal experimentation is the use of animals in scientific research. This experimentation ranges from testing pharmaceuticals on rats to measuring the elasticity of tendons in rabbits to implanting mechanical devices in calves. And while the FDA has dozens of guidelines to keep animal testing as ethical as possible, a strong opposition to animal research (particularly mammalian research) still exists.

Animals suffer just as people do. In 2009 animal experimentation was the cause of over 1.13 million animals, excluding small rodents, suffering in U.S. Laboratories (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service). Animal experimentation is unethical, unnecessary and expensive; alternative methods of testing should be utilized.

Even though animal testing seems as if it is harmful, it has also helped humans benefit medically and for the better in life. Without animal testing, there are a few drawbacks that would occur in the medical field. “Polio would kill or cripple thousands of unvaccinated children and adults this year; some of the 50 to 60 percent of newborns who develop jaundice each year would develop cerebral palsy, now preventable through phototherapy; most of the nation’s 580,000 insulin-dependent diabetics would die; the United States would experience 1.5 million cases of rubella;

Imagine being poked and prodded with a needle, all to test for a new drug against

Vaccines for measles, whooping cough, tetanus, rabies, influenza, diphtheria, and polio have been created with animal use (Parks 32). Supporters say this progress would not be possible without the use of animals in science. Although it is true that essential medical progress that has saved countless lives has been made with animal experiments, the question is could this progress have been made without animal testing? It can be said that the same results may have been achieved without having to kill any animals. Some even say that animal experiments have slowed medical progress (Parks 23). In 2013, a study published the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America concluded 150 human trials for treatments to reduce inflammation in patients all failed, even though all were successful in animal experiments ("Should Animals be Used"). Many say animal testing has wasted so much time in terms of cancer research (Parks 23). The former National Cancer Institute director, Dr. Richard Klausner said "we have cured mice of cancer for decades, and it simply didn't work in humans," (qtd in People for the Ethical). There are so many examples similar to these, it provokes the thought of what could all of that wasted time and money have been used for? Animal testing needs to be banned in order for the science community to move on to better methods and stop wasting

An English philosopher once stated his question about animals, “Can they reason? Can they talk? Most importantly, Can they suffer?”(Singer). Animal testing is inhumane and should be banned. House pets such as rodents, rabbits, and even dogs are being tested on all around the world. These voiceless animals are intentionally given nasty diseases and infections to find cures while scientists could be using alternative ways of testing instead of using these powerless animals. Most experimentation has nothing to do with medical research, it is product testing. Animals should not be used for product testing or medical research.

About 1,027,450 animals were used for testing in 2007 (Evans). Animal experimentation is when animals are used to test the safety of products. These products range from cosmetics to medication and anatomy. Many animals are used for testing such as dogs, monkeys, rats, birds, and mice. Some people believe that these testings should go on because it gives essential information about humans (“Animal Experimentation”). Those who are familiar with animal experimentation will have a better idea about all the ways that animals testing is unneeded. They will know how this process is abusive and cruel to animals. People will also know about how there are now new technologies that could act as alternatives. Animal Experimentation should stop because animal testing is unnecessary, it's cruel to animals, and there are alternatives.

“Over 100 million animals are burned, crippled, poisoned, and abused in US labs every year.” “Also in Canada, 3.02 million animals were used in experiments in 2013 and 78,294 animals were subjected to severe pain near, at, or above the pain tolerance threshold of unanesthetized conscious animals.” Animal testing is frequently used for developing beauty products and medicines and in a lot more areas. Many people believe that the animal testing is necessary for humans. New vaccines and medicines are being developed continuously as humans are exposed to the pollution and lots of diseases. However, it is hazardous and fearful for people to use a new medicine without knowing its effect. People want to be guaranteed to the least safety and the virtue of the medicine.