Animal Welfare Act

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.

According to Clifford J. Sherry, animal testing first started in ancient times by the Greeks, Arabs, and Romans. They conducted animal testing to simply satisfy their anatomical curiosity because it was believed that the animal body contains about 94.5% of that of the human body. Early Greeks in the 6th century performed experimentations on the animal which led to the discovery of the nerve system, brain and spinal cord function, and cardio-pulmonary system; whereas, the early Arabs in the 12th century

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.

A Necessary Evil?” written by Danielle Paterson, a pre-vet student at James Madison University argues that animal testing should be stopped. Paterson explains the cruelty behind animal experimentation. To oppose her argument, a 2016 article by the title of “Medical Experiments on Animals Are an Important Element of Drug Development” written by Geraldine Wagner, a graduate of the state university of New York argues the importance of animal

For many years, the field of science has used animals in medical experiments worldwide, because of this innocent animals are being killed everyday. They are being tested with new drugs, new treatments, and by many makeup companies. Connecticut recently celebrated the passage of the “Beagle Freedom Law”, a law that requires laboratories to work with charities and rescue groups to find homes for research cats and dogs. Animals are being tested so humans do not have to be but animal tests do not reliably predict results in human beings, although animals are the closest thing to humans. Most experiments involving animals are flawed, wasting the lives of innocent animal subjects. Over 100 million animals suffer a year from testing. Testing animals is a lot more expensive than alternative methods and it is wasting government research dollars. Animal testing is not only a bad idea, but it is also inhuman and it should not be tolerated. The FDA should stop allowing animal testing. An animal does not give out the same results on a test than a human would.

If the only justification for these animal tests is if the only animal use in experimentation provides greater benefit to the health of humankind than the cost to the animals. Clinical trials, especially for drugs for alzheimers, asthma, polio, antibiotics, meningitis, and other critical diseases go through animal testing phases before reaching human test groups. Some of these drugs have been trialled successfully in humans, but their safety and efficacy was first established in small and observable animal populations. It begs the question that- if animals are hurt by testing, but in the long run, human lives are saved, what is morally correct?

Before 1966, almost of animals, family pets as well, were being taken away by thieves and burglars because a lot of laboratories were paying others to do the messed up dirty work all so they could test on them with all sorts of chemicals. Between 1908-1973, President Lyndon B. Johnson saw this and the heard cries and sorrow of the people and didn’t agree with what was going on. On August 24th, 1966 President Johnson created a nameless act in order to ensure and protect the animals that were being wrongfully used in an inhumane way.

The harmful use of animals in experiments is not only cruel and inhumane but also often ineffective. Animals do not get many of the human diseases that people do, such as major types of heart disease, many types of cancer, HIV, Parkinson’s disease, or schizophrenia. There have been past occasions where drugs passed on animals weren’t even safe. There is no excuse for animal testing in today’s techy world, there are now many alternatives for animal testing that would put an end to the pain and suffering endured by these innocent animals during human testing.

Think of a small or large innocent animal, dying a painful death, all because we humans want to advance and need something to test on. They are only being minimally protected because they are seen as just our “property”. Testing on animals is not the problem, the extremely inhumane way that they are being treated is. Many animals of different species sit in cages of research facilities, instead of being out in the wild where they belong. They are forced to endure multiple tests every day. These tests are harmful, sometimes even deadly. The only thing slightly protecting them is the Animal Welfare Act, But it does not provide very much protection. Those who are supporters of this movement are usually criticized by people who do not

Every year, over a hundred million animals are burned, poisoned, and abused in laboratories for medical, drug, food, and cosmetic purposes. Animal testing is the use of living animals in experiments for research. Therefore, it is cruel and inhumane to use animals for such a purpose. Scientists conclude we are similar to animals, as chimpanzees share approximately ninety-nine percent of human DNA, but drug tests given to animals does not necessarily have the same outcomes on people. The Animal Welfare Act(AWA) regulates the treatment of animals in research, but many laboratory animals are excluded from the protections. As technology increases, an alternative testing methods now exists that can replace animals. Many people believe we aren’t superior

The Animal Welfare Act is the only U.S. federal law that covers animals used in research (NEAVS n.d.). The act only protects some of the animals used in research (NEAVS n.d.). The AWA doesn’t cover the animals that make up 90% of the animals used in research, including; rats, mice and birds (NEAVS n.d.). It also doesn’t cover cold-blooded animals like, fish, reptiles, and ambitions (NEAVS n.d.). The AWA sets low standards for the environment and housing these animals live in, when they are fed and what they are fed and what kind of care they receive from a vet (NEAVS n.d.). It is unknown how many animals are actually being tested on in the U.S. since the most common animals are not covered by the act, but a guess from NEAVS is over 100 million

Just in the United States, “there are about 26 million different species, from dogs to birds, being used every year for medical and science related testing” (“Animals in Science / Research”). Throughout the process of testing, “monkeys are addicted to drugs, cats are deafened and have holes drilled into their skulls, sheep and pigs have their skin burned off, and rats have their spinal cords crushed” (“Animals in Medical Experiments”). As a result, animals face cruel conditions and have no way of fighting back. Although medical testings on animals may cure the deadliest diseases such as cancer and tuberculosis, the abuse and mistreatment these animals face while testing medicines should be deemed inhumane, and such practices should be banned in the United States.

discovered at a slow rate. Furthermore, animal testing ensures that new drugs are safe for

I am for the using of animals in research and testing due to the various benefits it offers. These experiments are necessary since some ailments can only be understood by studying a living animal as they entail intricate processes. The law necessitates that all drugs for human use must be tested on animals

Use of animals in scientific research has provided an exact alternative means of learning about the human body, without harming the human beings. The lives of animals cannot be valued more than the lives of human beings (Dawkins 2012). There might be some regrets about harming the animals’ lives, however, the fact that these animals, which are used in medical labs, have been the only alternative for testing the effects of newly introduced medicines and as a result, animal testing has been found to be saving a lot of human lives which makes animal testing worth and continued utilisation in scientific research. Animal testing has been an accurate alternative for test on humans; therefore, scientists have been able to test medicines whether they are safe enough for use in human diseases (Esser 2012).