Animal Experiments And Its Effects On Human Suffering And Improve The Quality Of Human Life

Animal testing has been one of the issues that people are fighting overtime because of its moral. Even though some results of tests are successful on people, many people are still fighting for the animal’s rights. They believe that animals should have their own rights to live a free life where they belong, just like their species. In scientists point of view, animals have been one of the main subjects to test on, but a lot of them are currently looking forward to use and develop alternatives for the cruel act of animal testing.

A life can be taken or created in a matter of seconds and with that has come the miracles of modern medicine. People have come to expect science to save lives, prevent illness, relieve suffering and improve the quality of life. The means of curing, treating and preventing diseases are not achieved by magic or accident. Medical advances are gained through years of intensive research -- research in which laboratory animals have played, and continue to play, a critical role. Opponents of animal testing are wrongfully determined that this process is completely unethical.

Animals do not suffer from the same diseases that us humans have, for example curing heart failure induced by cutting a dogs aorta will not help to cure heart failure caused by a build-up of cholesterol in human arteries. We waste animal lives everyday and for what? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has noted that 92 percent of all drugs that are shown to be safe and effective in animal tests fail in human trials because they don’t work or are dangerous. And of the small percentage of drugs approved for human use, half end up being relabeled because of side effects that were not identified in tests on animals. This makes it extremely dangerous to humans, because animal testing is not dependable, it can cause serious side effects to humans that weren’t an issue to the animals during testing.

Based on this, the hypothesis is that animal testing is a gift of life and hope for everyone. The main purpose of animal testing is that it helps in the search for drugs and treatments to improve health and medicine. Keep in mind that many medical procedures have been made possible by animal experimentation, like HIV and cancer drugs, insulin, antibiotics, vaccines and many more. We can conclude that some experiments are considered essential for treatment of diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s. Also the procedures to treat heart disease as is the case of open heart and lung surgery, coronary bypass improves blood flow to the heart, and the replacement of a defective heart valve. We should also mention the techniques and equipment for renal dialysis. Radiation therapy also was tested first in mice and rats. The cure for measles, smallpox, blood transfusions, and microsurgery to reattach severed limbs. In other promising research on lessons of the spinal cord and paralysis, so-called neurological, trying to find ways to repair nerve tissue and restore movement. These are some of the reasons why the scientific community and much of society support this practice. Which shows that without animal testing, many humans, and also animals would not be alive today, would not have been possible to eradicate many pests that plague mankind.

Scientists use animals in order to make medical advancements to help humans however, it is often difficult to get the same results in both animals and humans. The biology of humans and animals is not the same, although there are some similarities. According to Akhtar, in an article titled “The Flaws and Human Harms of Animal Experimentation”, “Annually, more than 115 million animals are used worldwide in experimentation or to supply the biomedical industry” (Akhtar). Millions of animals are used, against their will, to try to help humans. Although there are some instances in which the experiments have helped humans, is it really worth the pain and suffering that all of those animals have had to suffer. Akhtar also stated “Although it is widely accepted that medicine should be evidence based, animal experimentation as a means of informing human health has generally not been held, in practice, to this standard” (Akhtar). There has been some cases in which testing medicine on animals has benefitted humans, however this type of result is hard to duplicate. Often when a result is achieved in the lab, there are many influences that can cause these

Most arguments in favor of the use of animal testing for scientific use lead to the benefits it has for humans. Animal research has contributed to virtually every major medical advancement - for both human and veterinary health. From antibiotics to blood transfusion, from dialysis to organ transplantation, from vaccinations to chemotherapy, surgery and joint replacement, virtually every current treatment, cure and restraint of disease is based on understanding attained through research with lab animals. For example, dogs and fish were used for the development of insulin, which is now able to help control diabetes. The House of Lords Select Committee, the Parliamentary Animal Procedures Committee and the independent Nuffield Council on Bioethics all agreed that testing on animals is a scientifically sound method, has developed great results and is important for future advances (Pro-Test). Animal testing is viewed as the best option for medical progress, since it has had much success in the past. Robert Koch, a Nobel prize winner, conducted experiments on animals and stated, “Think you’re in the running for a future Nobel prize in medicine? You may want to consider using animals in your studies… More than two-thirds of all nobel prizes in medicine have been awarded for discoveries that involved animal research” (Hayhurst 21).

Animal testing’s has become a big issues in animal abuse, just because researchers have used animals in many ways to test products (“Animal Rights.") Animal’s right activist, people concerned about the ethical treatment of animals, counter that this testing is almost never the only option (“Vivisection and animal

Those for animal testing feel that it is not cruel and inhumane and it has successfully contributed to life-saving cures and treatments. They feel as if they have been given restrictions on how they treat the animals as they treat the animals as they should be. To even receive any money towards institutions and testing, they must go by the policies placed on behalf of the humane care and use of laboratory animals set by PHS-Public Health Service. As they see it, they already have to abide by certain strict policies which are placed to protect the animals from being abused in anyway, and as long as they continue to do so they are allowed to conduct researches and studies. They understand that many are concerned for the animal’s safety, but having the scientists to test possible cures that could possibly be a cure for disease that has already taken too many lives from parents, children, and siblings.

Everyday humans interact with animals. Whether monitoring animals in zoos or having them as pets, humans have engaged in either positive or negative relations with animals. Animal experimentation also known as animal testing has been highly discussed, because of the questionable experiments being done on animals, and the way animals treated in general. Looking at the history, effects, and alternatives to animal testing, human involvement in the lives of animals as well as the ethicality of animal testing will be confronted.

This report explores the main arguments both for and against animal experimentation. The report begins with an introduction briefly outlining what animal experimentation refers to, introducing the three perspectives and highlighting the intention behind this investigation.

In the past and even now, it appears that many medical advances have been discovered using animal testing. Although this is accepted to be true, the important issue is whether the same innovations could have occurred without the use of animals. Because animal experimentation is one of the most common forms of experimentation and has been used for hundreds of

These incidents have resulted in stricter regulations concerning animal testing on products we use in our daily lives. Some of the products developed through animal experimentation consist of cosmetics, pesticides, new drugs, household products, vaccines, food additives, and industrial chemicals. The benefits of animal experimentation can be, for example, societal (medical breakthrough), scientific (new knowledge) or educational (training of research students), and they may even benefit the animals themselves (new cures, better management practices)(Blache). Animal experimentation is done to help ensure that products are safe for humans and don’t result in a mass amount of deaths or illnesses.

Around the world, an estimated 115 million animals are used in various medical research facilities per year (“Animal Testing,” n.d.). The relationship of humans and animals have been entirely interdependent since early on. Traces of animal testing have dated back to as early as 500 B.C. Even today, numerous species of animals are used for investigation throughout the world. These animals include, but are not limited to, mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, birds and non-human primates such as monkeys and chimpanzees. Countless people display contradictory positions on animal practices; numerous individuals view animals as partners, while others use animals on behalf of enhancing medical practices and expanding experimental exploration. Prior research has revealed that there are a variety of explicit features that influence people to either aid or contradict the practice of using animals in medical research. Many people consider the kind of animal used, style of study being directed, and how the animals are treated in the experiment (Henry & Pulcino, 2009). Since animals have been universally tested in various fields of experimentation, the ideology of medical research has been a continuous debate within humans. This paper will present alternative positions pertaining to the topic of animal practice in medical research and conclude with a position that seems most permissible.

For several years, supporters and scientists have been arguing about whether the practice of animals research should be used. Many people believe animals are needed for research, while others think it is not fair for animals to be sacrificed and treated poorly during research. Animals used for research has bettered many human lives by new discoveries and advantages. Many people such as doctors, scientists, hospitals, research institutes use animal research to view how the human body works and to advance in scientific understanding. The first animal experiment started in the UK in the late 17th century with Harvey’s experiments on several species to demonstrate blood circulation. Even greek physicians such as Aristotle and Erasistratus has performed experiments on living things between the years 384-322 BC and 304-258 BC.

Imagine being experimented on daily, only to result in being locked up in a enclosure with nothing and nobody. Envision being deprived, isolated and used over and over again. Undoubtedly, animals go through these situations constantly with nothing but themselves. Scientist develop theories and statements, with the aid of animals, for a better understanding of life threatening diseases, when in reality their experiments keep animals secluded and distressed. When confronted with animal cruelty many people have mixed emotions of disgust and rage which eventually leads to combat for justice. Although experiments executed on animals may be useful for understanding life threatening diseases, it is brutal and can proceed to failure of the experiment, as well as deprivation and isolation of the organism.