Ethical Issues In Animal Testing

What would you do if you saw someone slowly torching an animal to death. The background of animal testing is defined as some say it is cruel and some say it is necessary. In recent discussions of animal being used as test subjects. On one hand, some argue that it is cruel and inhuman. On the other hand, some say the test could not be performed without the animals. My own view is, I strongly am against animals being used as test subjects. Some view the test that are performed on the animals as innocent and harmless, it is clear that the test are cruel because the test torture the animals, and some test are inhuman.

It is no secret that millions of animals a year are used for medical experimentation. One study “found the number of animals tested rose from 1,566,994 in 1997 to 2,705,772 in 2012” (Casey). It is my belief that researchers use virtue theory to defend their experimentations. While animal activists approach experimentation through the ethics of care. I am against animal experimentation, but I will also provide insight into why people believe it is ethically just.

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.

How could one not feel guilty when looking into a test animal’s eyes and seeing all of the pain and suffering that they have endured? Over 75-100 million animals are used for scientific and medical research per year. (Baumans) Animals should not be used for scientific and medical research because it is unethical, humans and animals are not genetically identical resulting in failed tests, and there are other techniques to conduct research.

The aim of this presentation is to highlight why animals research exists in the field of psychobiology and psychology. Firstly, an explanation of the benefits of conducting animal research, with research examples targeted at the central nervous system (CNS). Then, the focus is to highlight the ethical issues surrounding animal research, such as cruelty to animals and their rights. Thirdly we will be looking at the extent to which animal research has increased our understanding of human psychology. This is then followed by a brief summary of the main points covered in the presentation.

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.

Why should animals be used for medical research? Is it because some animals are similar to humans probably. Even though animals have rights they should still be used for experiments because if scientist experiment on humans and something go wrong they could kill that human being. That is why animals should be used for medical research because they have different blood type and cells from us. Something that can easily kill us might not kill an animal, so with that they can find a way to cure the disease. In this paper I will represent alternative positions on the topic of testing, teaching and experimenting on different types of animals. I feel when testing things on different animals you get different results. When testing different animals you would get different results because some animals are provided with the help of the law to be giving pain relief. Some species are categorized based on the law. Animals that were funded by the law were the ones to get tested on.

“Lots of people talk to animals…Not very many listen, though…That’s the problem”(Ben Hoffman). The controversy of animal testing is phenomenal; it always has been. I remember dissecting animals throughout my years of school in the "name of science". It was only until recently that I started questioning the government 's methods to teach us. We dissected a dog shark in my oceanography class last year. There had to been at least 80 dead sharks in about four different buckets; that was when it crossed the line. I understood a lamb eye or something, but breeding sharks in captivity just so they can be killed? Animal testing is wrong in every way to me.

Animal experimentation has been a commonly debated subject for many years, is it cruelty or science? Millions of animals die each year from animal testing. This is because of harsh ways animals are treated like by their experimenters. Animals should be free of the cruelty scientists expose them to. They have just as much sentient as humans do. Millions of animals a year are subject to being imprisoned and having terrible procedures done.

An estimate of 1.4 million animals die each year due to animal testing. As people we have freedom, choice, and the right to live, however animals have a right to live in a world without suffering just as much as we do. Animals just like humans have emotions, thoughts, and feelings, so what makes it right to test on animals any more than to perform tests on humans? The benefits of testing on animals has still not been proven as the treatments that show promise in animals rarely work on humans. There are also many other options for testing techniques that we can use without performing harmful tests on animals, and finally it's entirely unethical. There are many alternatives overall so it is really still considered ethically right to take the freedom of animals just because we want to do research. Animal testing should no longer have a place in our modern day world.

Imagine a life locked away in a cage with no form of control on your existence. It’s cold, dark, and you are scared. You don’t have a choice of what you eat, where you live, or how you are treated. You are unsure if it is day or night or what will happen to you next. You are locked away in a prison cell and you committed no crime. This is the life of a laboratory animal. Animal testing is the use of animals for scientific research purposes and experiments. It can be used for the findings of cures and medicines to testing new drugs, to understanding the behavioral psychology of the animals themselves. “Around fifty to one hundred million vertebrate animals, ranging from fish to primates, are used in experiments each year” (Lloyd). There are

1. Animal Testing An animal test, animal experiment or animal research are unethical procedures that are conducted on live animals, wherein the animals are forced to undergo processes that cause them pain, distress, suffering, or lasting harm (Murnaghan, 2016). Animal testing is used for various products such as cosmetics, food additives, household products, supplements, medications pesticides, and industrial chemicals at some point of their production process. Animal testing is currently an industry worth billions of dollar, covering government bodies, universities, and pharmaceutical and chemical industries.

4. Ethical approaches and issues Animal testing is a major ethical concern; however, it’s not just related to HIV. Stem-cell research related to curing HIV shouldn’t be allowed in children. There are high risks related to investigational interventions and low clinical benefits. When choosing participants, it must be done in an ethical approach and not at random

For the past 20 years, there has a been an on going heated debate on whether experiments on animals for the benefit of medical and scientific research is ethical. Whether it is or isn't, most people believe that some form of cost-benefit test should be performed to determine if the action is right. The costs include: animal pain, distress and death where the benefits include the collection of new knowledge or the development of new medical therapies for humans. Looking into these different aspects of the experimentation, there is a large gap for argument between the different scientists' views. In the next few paragraphs, both sides of the argument will be expressed by the supporters.

The controversy behind animals as research subjects is mainly one of morals and the ethical treatment of said animals. Many people believe we should use them in this way, so we aren 't actually harming people in the pursuit for better things for humans. Though animal testing was a viable resource for many years, it has proven to be extremely controversial and unethical, therefor the use of animals as research subjects should be outlawed.