Animal Experimentation Is Necessary For Medical Purposes

As of 2015, 200 to 225 million animals are said to used in laboratory research for the biomedical industry annually worldwide. Typically defended by arguments of reliability and human health benefits, recently the question of ethics and values placed on animal testing have caused it to become a relevant and pressing topic that has been more widely discussed and debated. First off, the laboratory conditions that are instigated upon millions of animal models for the sake of medical research has been said to be unethical and cruel. Additionally, it has been debated that the results of animal experimentation are unreliable across a wide range of areas. Lastly, animal testing not only leads away from the direction of resources from more effective testing methods but also prolongs the duration of time humans may need to wait for an effective cure. Therefore, the potential benefits of animal experimentation are greatly outweighed by the risks and collective harm of humans and animals which is why resources should be directed towards more human-based testing procedures.

Animal testing has contributed to many life-saving cures, treatments, and major advances in understanding and treating conditions such as breast cancer, childhood leukemia, brain injuries, cystic fibrosis, malaria, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis, and many others, and was instrumental in the development of pacemakers, cardiac valve substitutes, and anesthetics. Using animals as research subjects is appropriate because they are similar to human beings in many ways.

Animal experimentation has been a commonly debated topic for many years; is it science or is it cruelty? Everyone will and can have their own opinions on this topic. Animal testing has contributed to many advances in our medicine, but what about the experiments that don’t work? Could they have been avoided if there had been an alternative to testing animals? Although animal testing may seem ideal, many people do not know what happens behind the closed laboratory doors. Animal testing is inhumane, non-comparable to humans, and extremely costly to American citizens.

Aristotle was the first the conduct biomedical testing on animals in the years 324-332 BCE. Animal testing has helped develop vaccines for smallpox, polio, and even led to the discovery of Penicillin, the first antibacterial drug used by most doctors. Today, the majority of animals used for testing are rats and mice, but also include guinea pigs, dogs, rabbits and monkeys. The National Institutes of Health in the United States is one of the largest funder for animal experiments worldwide. Over 115 million animals per year fall victims to genetic manipulation, forced chemical exposure, and inhalation of toxic gases. (“Experiments on Animals: Overview”, par. 3) Since the 21st century, science has headed into a period of advancement that has allowed many older scientific testing techniques, such as animal testing, to be abandoned. Biomedical scientists have created testing

When people hear the phrase “animal testing” they tend to have many reactions. Some think that it should not be allowed, while others think that science could not survive without it. Many advances have been made in the medical field because of animal testing, and the process of eliminating it from existence will be extremely difficult (Ericson, 2014; Daston, et al., 2015). Due to the controversy surrounding the subject people might not know all of the facts. Through our research we have found information relating to the medical benefits, ethical problems, and ways to make animal testing moral. Understanding more of the facts associated with animal testing, allows knowledgeable decisions to be made on whether or not animal testing is needed and what could be changed. When more people understand the basics of animal testing and the different arguments and questions circulating in the scientific community, changes will come faster.

Animal experimentation was a crucial in the development of open heart surgery, organ transplant, treating diabetes with insulin, and many other things.( Animal experimentation. Opposing viewpoints resource center. Web .2 mar. 2015) The California biomedical research associations “CBRA” say that most medical breakthroughs in the last century have resulted directly from animal experimentation .Animal experimentation also led to the discovery of insulin, to some major advance in breast cancer. Animal testing has help to save lives and cures sickness. By learning more about our body, we are more equipped to rid of sickness in the United States and 3rd word countries.

Over the last several decades, scientific experimentation with animals has played an important role in developing new medical health breakthroughs for humans. Without the use of animals for research experiments, new vaccines, better surgical techniques, and cures for diseases such as cancer, would not have been developed. There are oppositions to using animals for experimentation.

It has been argued that animal testing contributes to life-saving cures and treatments, such as the discovery of insulin, essential for the patients that struggle with diabetes; the polio vaccine, and so on. These researches, and so this argument goes, have also contributed to advances

What is perhaps most shocking about the use of animals in experiments is not only cruel, but often ineffective. In fact there is only around a 37% success rate in determining a drug’s effect on human. Animals do not get many of the diseases that humans do, such as heart disease; many forms of

Since many years, animals have always been one of the reasons for the survival of many human beings. They are used for experimental and medical research for finding new drugs and treatments and for the general advancement of health and medicine. There has been a controversy between people about the pros and cons to the practice of animal testing and whether it is helpful or it is just wasting the animal lives and there could be alternatives.

Do you, your children, or your pet get vaccinations? Do you use household products? Do you use men or women beauty products? Do you use over the counter medicines? For most people the answer to these questions is yes. Though these items would not have been marketed had they not been tested on dogs, cats, and other animals. Scientists have used animals for experiments since the beginning of time. Animal experimentation has been the topic of debate for many years. The debate is deciding whether it is morally or ethically worth the health and life of animals to save the lives of humans. Opponents of animal experimentation argue it is cruel and unnecessary to use animals and that other alternatives should be used. Even though, animal experiments have contributed to providing society with great medical advances, like vaccinations. Without animal experimentation the safety of new treatments, chemicals, and products for human use cannot be determined. Animal research not only benefits humans, but animals as well. Animal experimentations are necessary in order for scientist to advance in the knowledge about diseases, illnesses, as well as develop treatments, cures, and test medical devices.

Animal experimentation is cruel and needs to be banned. It is another form of animal abuse. The animals are locked in cold, tiny cages in laboratories waiting in fear of what might happen next. The animals are being treated cruelly and being injected with substances that the scientists do not know if it will harm the animals. “Right now, millions of mice, rats, rabbits, primates, cats, dogs and other animals are locked inside cold barren cages in laboratories across the country. They languish in pain, ache with loneliness, and long to roam free and use their minds. Instead, all they can do is sit and wait in fear of what the next terrifying and painful procedure that will be performed on them (PETA).

In today’s times, using animals for medical research and education is a highly controversial issue. Some believe that it is not justifiable to use animals to serve as human models. They argue that humans are the best models for human disease and treatment efficacy, not animals. However, humans cannot be test subjects for the benefit of society without volunteering to participate and fully understanding the question being researched. This is for all human beings, including prisoners, the mentally impaired, and unwanted children (Rollin 5). Also, according to the USDA, the first requirement for a new medical drug or vaccine to be considered for a clinical trial is that nonhuman animal subjects were used during the development and testing

One of the most controversial topics worldwide is whether or not animals can be used for medical purposes such as drug testing, studying diseases, or making advancements in drug technology. The main issue is the fact that animals are conscious and sentient like us humans. This has led to disagreements in the scientific community regarding animal testing. Some animal organizations such as PETA, The Center for Alternatives for Animal Testing, and the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments have been combatting animal testing for years. Most of the United States however, still accepts animal testing. The ethicality and effectiveness of animal testing is determined through many factors. When all these factors are considered, the necessity of animal testing is conspicuous, and the ethicality can be defended. Therefore, with all the evidence gathered in this essay, I believe that animal testing is justified for medical purposes.

Every year in high-school, the discussion about animal experimentation would be brought up either in a Science or English class. The discussions would last about three quarters of a period, and they would go nowhere because nobody could agree whether it was a good or bad thing to do. I would always be in the middle of the debate because, I believed that it was a good thing. I am for animal experimentation because it has revolutionized the medical field, regulates the overpopulation of certain animal species in the environment, and follows a certain set of laws set by the Animal Welfare Act.