Animal Testing And The Medical Field Essay

In our ever-changing world the race to find the best technological advancements has never been higher. Progress within the medical field has changed drastically in the last 50 years. “Health is driven by the technologies that cure the unhealthy. These technologies need to advance along with an advancing society. In the last five decades new and improved, less expensive, medicine has been produced” (Leonard). Behind all this advanced medicine are the technologies, or creatures, that are used to test and improve the medicine. Animals are used to test the drugs and medicine that are in route to be produced for human use. “The term "Animal Testing" refers to procedures performed on living animals for purposes of research into basic biology and diseases, assessing the effectiveness of new medicinal products” (Humane Society). There are people who side with, and agree that animal testing improves the lives of humans, and there are individuals who believe the harm this research brings to animals is unreasonable and can be prevented.

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.

Many people often oversee the effects of animal testing. This has been going on for decades and many are unaware of the results and the damages animal testing can cause. Animals undergo a lot of stress and pain when they are put through experimentations. Many have debated that it is unethical to test on animals while others say it helps to protect the safety of humans. In my opinion, animal testing is cruel and should be made illegal. Their lives are just as important as human lives and should not be treated as experimental animals. The system of an animal differs from the human system, therefore even if a tested product did not harm the animal, it may or may not be harmful to humans. Hence, our body system reactions differ from the bodies of an animal. It has been scientifically proven that 90% of the animals being tested in labs results in death while only a handful of animal experiments are successful. There are multiple alternative methods rather than forcefully harming innocent animals. I will explore how animal testing can affect the health of the animals and if there is possibly a better alternative rather than testing on animals.

Approximately 26 million animals are used every year in the United States alone for research and commercial testing (“Background of the Issue” 1). For years, legislators have debated the pros and cons of animal testing, and laws were passed to attempt to fix the inhumane treatment of the cute, innocent testing subjects, the animals. Although the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) was revised numerous times, “the species most commonly used in experiments (mice, rats, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians) comprise 99% of all animals in laboratories” and are the animals that are specifically exempted from protection under the act (“Experiments on Animals” 2). A simple fix to animal cruelty during testing is to use alternative methods since human and animal bodies already vary greatly. For years, animal testing was the best option because there was no alternative to testing on a living, whole-body system; however, in the age of technology, there is no reason for millions of animals to be killed due to the severity of the testing. Therefore, animal testing should be banned because alternative methods provide more accurate results since human bodies are very different than animal bodies; furthermore, animal advocacy organizations should promote cruelty-free products more so customers know what to purchase and use.

Throughout the years the use of animals in medical research has been a hot debate around the world. Although animal testing may be cruel and inhumane, thousands of humans are saved thanks to the research that animals supply researchers with. Animals testing have taken over our knowledge of medicine and treatments to a whole different level. Animal testing also does this in a cheap and effective way. Without animals testing out knowledge wouldn’t be up to date, in other words animals’ testing is good.

To support or not support animal testing practices has been a long debated topic. Animals have been used in medical and cosmetic tests since the 1900s leading to numerous medical treatment breakthroughs and ensuring the safety of everyday products we use. Recently animal advocate groups have called for the abolishment of animal testing, causing a divide on whether or not to continue animal testing. In order to keep innovating new solutions for diseases that plague our communities and loved ones, allowing the use of animal testing to end preventable tragedies must occur.

Animals can be ferocious and wild, but they can also be gentle and tame. Some are our pets, and some are powerful forces that are to be respected and admired. It is as easy to appreciate a loyal dog as it is to be in awe of a lion in its' natural habitat. But the truth that many people either don’t know or don’t appreciate is that animals are essential to human existence and have played a vital role in improving the quality of our lives. They have been providing us with answers to our most complex medical questions for decades. Their role in finding cures for diseases, treatments for illness, and product safety is immense. First, we will examine how animal testing has

For decades, people have been using animals as the go-to method for testing scientific breakthroughs, but not only is this concept outdated, it is a cruel punishment inflicted on harmless creatures. Animal cruelty is a well-known problem around the United States that is a growing issue for debate. A study has shown that less than 2% of human illnesses are found in animals and over 98% are ineffective on animals (Peta2). “The Food and Drug Administration reports that 92 out of every 100 drugs that pass animal tests fail in humans” (PETA). Not only does animal testing hurt the animals, it is a waste of time. These are just some of the reasons why animal testing is pointless and should be banned. It is time that the United States recognizes animal testing as unacceptable because of its negative effects on both humans and animals: it is inhumane for many reasons, it proves to be very expensive and costly, and it’s pointless on many accounts.

As the number of animals being used in animal testing goes up, many people pose a concern about the subject. There are around 100 million animals that are killed in the United States each year alone in animal testing (“Experiments”). These animals are tested for medical training, chemical, drug, food, cosmetics, biology lessons, and even curiosity driven experiments Animals including cats, dogs, rats, guinea pigs, monkeys, and many others are used. Alternative testing options are ways that scientists can still study and research different things while also saving the lives of animals that are used in animal testing everyday. Even though many people depend on animal testing to discover different cures

In history, animal experimentation has played a significant important role in leading to new discoveries and human benefit. However, what many people tend to forget are the numbers of animal subjects that have suffered serious harm during the process of experimentation. Each day across America innocent animals are used as test subjects for products that have little to no relevance importance. Animal testing has had many negative issues arise in society in a negative way. Debating over the animal rights movement has raised many questions and concerns for years. There is an ongoing controversy regarding if companies should stop testing their products on animals. Although animal research has been the cause of many medical breakthroughs, is it morally and ethically right to put animals in these kinds of situations? This is one of the underlying questions that must be solved before it is too late. When considering how truly reliable the results of animal test are, and the expense of testing will help bring new light to the problem. By simply passing a policy will not only address this issue, will help better products and medicine in the future.

Photos, websites, posters, and many more items have displayed the negative effects of medical testing on animals. Though, those websites and photos you see every day are not what testing on animals is really like. According to an article from Patricia George and Geraldine Wagner, over the last century and a half, more progress has been made in medical animal testing than in all previous years combined. Animals have actually benefited from the medications they were being tested on and although animal testing helps animals, it also helps humans in the process (2). Animal testing has cured many medical issues, but testing on animals is changing the viewpoint of people today. Because many diseases and cancers have been cured from animal testing, doctors should continue to medically test on animals, but should follow a set of strict rules to have the animals being tested on in healthy and good condition.

“Over 100 million animals are burned, crippled, poisoned, and abused in US labs every year” (11 Facts). Animal testing is a very flawed creation in today’s world. This innovation has caused much harm to many animals while also hurting the opinions of animal activists around the world. Animal testing is also known as the use of animals in experiments and development projects usually to determine toxicity, dosing and efficacy of test drugs before proceeding to human clinical trials (Biology Online). The use of animal testing has been around for throughout all of history, it also carries its disadvantages as they diminish the lives of many animals along with their unspoken opinion while also having some advantages, and lastly this notion is very expensive (Scutti).

Though many people argue that animal testing should be stopped to find alternative methods, others still believe animal testing should continue to further medical research.Countries have found cures, vaccines, and treatments that have saved many lives thanks to animal testing, but there is still a cost to it. The suffering, pain, and confusion animals go through for our benefit can be stopped. Though it may be a good way to test, in many ways it still has its flaws, the community could change these flaws by finding alternative methods to

Most people have heard the phrase animal testing, but some are still not aware of what it actually involves. Animal testing can also be called animal research, and it refers to the experimentation on animals for many different medical treatments for humans. Several different animals are tested on, from rodents to primates. It can take place at medical schools, universities, or pharmaceutical companies. Some animals are bred specifically for medical testing. Others, can be taken from the wild, and placed in an animal testing facility. Without animal testing, we wouldn’t have the knowledge or successful treatments for: Leukemia and breast cancer, kidney failure and transplants, Alzheimer’s disease, HIV and Aids, polio, and premature birth. Whether

Observation and experimentation are how we as humans have been able to learn more about ourselves and the world and universe we live in. One of the most common methods of experimentation is animal testing. However, there are controversies surrounding animal testing. There are some that believe animal testing to be cruel and overdone, advocating for the eradication of the practice and further reliance alternative research methods. Groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and other animal rights advocates fall in this category. There are some that believe animal testing to be an invaluable resource and should continue, such as some scientists and research groups. However, there appears to me to be a consensus that is closer to the middle: the belief and understanding that while there are benefits to animal testing, there are flaws in the practice and there should be changes to increase its efficacy while we simultaneously explore alternate testing methods. Many scientists and the National Institute of Health (NIH) subscribe to this idea. I aim to explore the benefits, problems, and implications of animal testing in order to reach a more informed conclusion about a position that is most validated by the information I have used.