Animal Experimentation Is Necessary For Medical Research

Somewhere, in the United States, an animal is in terror. It cowers fearfully as scientists hold it down, and a doctor grips a massive, sharp needle next to its neck, ready to inject the animal with a lethal dose of a new, experimental drug. The animal is one of 26 million other creatures facing the same, painful, fate annually (The Hasting Center). Animal testing is the downfall of humanity, a practice of humans testing chemicals, drugs, and cosmetics on animals. Animal testing is an atrocity that is an unnecessary and dangerous ordeal to the subjects being tested on. The fact that it is cruel, is highly inaccurate, and that there are many other ways to achieve the results being pursued all

Animal activists and scientists experience ongoing conflict between animal experimentation and biomedical ethics. Animal testing is one of the oldest methods of experimentation. In the 1980s, the animal rights movement and the argument surrounding the ethics came under fire. As a result of this movement, the experimental procedures became public, giving more incentive to the activists and momentum to their cause. The ethics of animal experimentation come into question in everything from beauty products to the food and vitamins that are sent to consumers worldwide. However, because of the industries ' involvement within animal experimentation, many consumers do not know how these products they are purchasing are tested. Although the ethics of experimentation have come into question, new ideas of experimentation have progressed. Within the biomedical field, new testing methods for both medicine and beauty products have evolved. Because of this new technology, activists against animal experimentation argue that the necessity of animal experimentation is unneeded. In contrast, scientists argue it is not outdated. Despite the progress made by the activists many scientists still believe that animal experimentation will be needed. Although animal testing may have served as a useful tool in the past, it no longer is as accurate as the new technology and research methods from the 21st century.

The issue of animal testing is a widespread and very controversial topic. It entails carrying out torturous and harmful tests and experiments on animals (most commonly mice or rats, but also other animals like rabbits and guinea pigs) for scientific research, whether it be for medical causes, products or cosmetics. In many cases, animal testing is unavoidable – it is impossible to rid the world of something humans rely on so dearly; however, it is imperative that we recognize the moral impacts of our actions and stop relying on it as a major research tactic. It is quite odd that it continues to be commonly used, despite being largely ineffective, the abundance of alternatives available, and the moral issues it brings into light.

Throughout history, beginning as early as 500 BC, animals have been used to test out products that will later be utilized by humans (“Animal Testing” 4), what isn’t publicly discussed about is the way it will leave the animals after the process is done. Many innocent rabbits, monkeys, mice, and even popular pets such as dogs are harmed during the testing application of cosmetics, medicine, perfumes, and many other consumer products (Donaldson 2). Nevertheless, there are many people whom support the scandal because "it is a legal requirement to carry out animal testing to ensure they are safe and effective” for human benefit (Drayson). The overall question here is should it even be an authorized form of experimentation in the United States, or anywhere else? The fact of the matter is that there are alternatives to remove animals out of the equation for good (“Alternatives to Animal Testing” 1). They are cheaper, and less invasive than the maltreatment of the 26 million innocent animals that are subjected to the heartlessness of testing each year (“Animal Testing” 4). With all things considered, animal testing should be looked upon as animal cruelty due to the harsh effects from the many products tested on the innocent.

When visiting an animal shelter, petting the beloved family dog, or seeing a funny cat video on Facebook, it’s hard not to melt at the sight. Who could ever harm such cute, innocent creatures? It may be hard to think of how that could be possible, yet many companies have no problem hurting animals for their own benefit. Medication brands spanning the U.S., China, Germany, Canada and more test their products on animals daily to approve them for human use. Cruelty Free International and the Dr. Hadwen Trust states that at least 115 million animals may be used in experiments worldwide each year. The experiments administered to the poor animals are cruel and unethical, ranging from breeding them with the purpose of inducing mental illnesses or skinning them raw and injecting them with electrodes and chemicals. Furthermore, research has proved that the results are so unreliable and faulty that the testing is not even necessary. Evidence has proven that animals are subjected to unimaginable horrors during animal testing for the purpose of advancing the modern medical world, yet the entire operation is unnecessary for several reasons.

There are many different ways in which animals are experimented on: vivisection, “the cutting of or operation on a living animal for scientific investigation,” dissection (examining an animal by cutting into it), exposure to chemicals, testing new surgical procedures, and various other experiments (“Animal Testing” NP). When

Jeremy Bentham, an 18th century English philosopher, once said, “The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?” Peter Singer’s 1975 book Animal Liberation: A New Ethics for Our Treatment of Animals, in which he discusses animal suffering, rights, and equality, prompted the discussion of animal cruelty and experimentation in the cosmetics and medical industry. Industries should not test their products on animals because it is unethical and there are alternative methods that prove to be more accurate. Technology permits researchers to create alternative tests that deliver more accurate results.

Animal testing has been a long-standing method for testing products both biomedical and product-safety testing in the commercial/cosmetic industries. Experiments they are put through are inarguably cruel, uncalled for, and unnecessary. No matter one’s personal perception of animals and their rights, the fact remains that they are being exploited by research facilities and cosmetic companies across the country. Even with the few laws in place to protect the welfare of animals, they are in constant violation in the name of science or need, an argument that is no longer valid. Tom Regan, a philosophy professor at North Carolina State University, states "Animals have a basic moral right to respectful treatment.

As you walk into your nearest CVS Pharmacy or Walgreen’s to pick up that bottle of shampoo, your medication, or the makeup brand you may use, have you ever stopped to consider what may have happened to innocent animals in order for you to be able to purchase these products? Many people see animals as companions; however, according to a 2013 Gallup Poll, 56% of the U.S. sees them as a means to further scientific research. (Gallup Poll) Yet, the fact remains: animals are being tested on by a myriad of cosmetics brands and research facilities. Animal testing is unethical and needs to be banned, as thousands of animals suffer serious injuries due to the process of experimentation, as well as the fact that American taxpayers pay millions for research purposes that may not be applicable to humans.

However, some would claim that animal commercial and scientific testing is justified because animals need to be sacrificed in order to make products safer for human use and consumption. The problem with that reasoning is that making human’s lives better should not be an excuse for touching and exploiting animals. Animal test subjects are injected with painful toxins, drowned, starved, and abandoned in their immaculate lives (“Examples of Severe Animal Suffering in Laboratories”). Thus, animal testing needs to end, the method’s are inhumane, torturing animals to death in the gain of human

In the United States, we produce billions of cleaning and beauty products on a daily basis thanks to the advancement of machinery. Although we have machines and workers, these products need to be tested in order to be available to purchase in stores. Instead of using machines to test these products, most companies enforce testing their products on animals to ensure they are safe for humans. To some this not seem like a controversial topic, but for many this is a heartbreaking issue that is cruel to the lives of our animals. Animal testing is not ethical because it not only harms the lives of millions of animals, but also isn’t an accurate way to ensure the safety of our products.

Animal experimentation plays an important role in today’s medical and pharmaceutical advances, but many question the morality of such a use of animal life. Whether one argues that testing different products and drugs on animals is necessary or not, this has become an integral part of developing products. From that Tylenol we pop to get rid of our headache to that perfect shade of pink lip gloss, animal testing is used in order to produce the simplest household items. Today, in the United States, it is federal law that requires all pharmaceuticals, food additives, cosmetics, and garden chemicals to undergo a

“Animal testing has existed since the 2nd century BCE through the work of Greek scientist Aristotle” (Animal testing- Wikipedia). He was the first one to have made experiments on live animals. The first animal testing experiments was to find out how our bodies work. For example, the discovery of blood circulation in mammals was discovered in the 12th century by Arabic scientist Ibn Al-Nafis and this was refined later in the 17th century by William Harvey. Animal testing has also played a vital role in human medical advances. It has helped developed vaccines to cure diseases such as polio which has almost been eradicated. It has also have helped humans to have a better understanding of our bodily mechanisms, function and several diseases. Some diseases that cannot be cured yet can be treated better due to animal testing discoveries.

From the time of the Ancient Greeks up until present day, the words animal experimentation sparks an abundance of opposing opinions. While public support of animal testing gradually declined as the public became more educated towards what was entailed, the use of animals in laboratories around the world exploded. This created an increase in concern over animal welfare, and generated a new level of controversy over the use of animals for medical and cosmetic research. Animal testing controversy has become as vocal as ever, as the public weighs the pros and cons of crossing the line of what is moral, and what is done in the name of science. Animal testing in North America is damaging the reliability of medical research and testing moral codes boundaries as it creates more problems than it solves. Animal testing should become a prohibited practice because of the cruel and inhumane treatment of the animals, the variety of alternative methods than can be used in place and animal testing being a flawed, unreliable and expensive scientific method.

Animal testing, although a controversial topic, affects a great deal of scientists and the work force in the agriculture field. This topic has proven difficult to communicate to one another about because there are individuals that believe animals should have certain rights and others believe that animals have no rights. Our group wanted to research this topic because we want to gain knowledge and become more understanding toward the people on both sides of the spectrum. Digging more into the research we found that cosmetics, medical use, and food are the most widely used methods for experimentation. With these research fields, people are finding ways to appeal to the ethics of the modern-day consumer.