Is Animal Testing Justified For Medical Purposes?

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.

In discussion of animal rights, one controversial issue has been whether or not animals should be use for medical testing. On the one hand, some scientists argue that animal testing has contributed for many cures and treatments. On the other hand, animal rights activist contends that alternative methods now exist that can replace the need for animals. Others even maintain that animal testing is an essential part in medical research. My own view is that animals should not be used in medical testing because is no longer necessary now there are methods that are safer and have better results than animals do.

Most of the procedures we have these days are there because animal testing has helped in developing it. In addition, when new treatments should be developed, there is no safer and more accurate way to prove it harmless than testing with animals. Although there are certain alternatives such as computers, undoubtedly for human rights scientists should choose the assured and guaranteed way of animal testing. Therefore, until a suitable substitution as exact and as precise as testing with animals appear, animal testing shall be mandatory. Animal rights should be protected, but it is not only animals that need to survive: we, as human beings, have the right, not a privilege, to live a healthy

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.

With every new emerging disease and make up trend, hundreds and thousands of drugs are tested and evaluated before they are sold and used to ensure their safety in humans. Animal testing, also referred to as animal experimentation and animal research involves experimentation on animals such as mice, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters in labs to investigate the safety and efficiency of a variety of products ranging from medication to cosmetics and even understanding the physiology of the human body. However, with masses of animals killed each year for this purpose; this essay will aim to evaluate the necessity of animal testing as well the opposition to why animal testing should not be a part of our human nature.

“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).

Despite there being a large number of Americans favoring animal testing whether because they are misled as to its efficacy, are unaware of the true practices in this field, or simply have no regard for the life of these creatures in the slightest sense, animal testing has many negative aspects. Throughout the world and more specifically in the twenty-first century scientific community, experimental research done through the use of animal subjects has detrimental effects on animals. In addition, the processes tested on animals are not carried out with good moral standards, and the true value of scientific understanding gained from using these species is irrelevant. Animal testing should be prohibited.

Recently, the problem of animal testing has aroused people’s concern. Between twenty-five and fifty million animals are killed in American laboratories each year, and these animals include mice, rats, cats, monkeys and son on. Animal testing is one of the traditional approaches to studying how human and animal bodies work, and it is also frequently used to test medicine and chemicals. For example, a lot of medical students do animal testing to help them learn more about the medical science and finish their assignments. Since the technology has developed, there are all kinds of drugs and chemicals that are manufactured by humans, and animals are increasingly used to make sure the drugs and chemicals work, especially when a new disease is

Animal testing has been a controversial issue for decades as many claim that it is cruel and unnecessary while others insist that it is unavoidable in the process on ensuring human health. I support the former viewpoint for a variety of reasons.

Animal testing began after consumer products caused harm to the buyer. In 1930, a mascara called Lash Lure, blinded many women who used it. In 1937, one hundred people died from a new cough syrup called Elixir (Why do companies test cosmetics or other products on animals? 2013). These are two occurrences that pushed people to use animals for testing product safety. Today, the use of animals has expanded into experiments benefiting the medical field. These experimental animal studies are beneficial to the safety of humans, but animals are sacrificed in the process. Animals are usually killed and dissected at the end of the tests to determine the safety or efficacy of a product or drug. Although animal testing has increased the understanding of medical and consumer issues, the ways these discoveries were made are fatal. As a utilitarian, one needs to consider the benefits and harms of animal testing and discover if they find it ethical. A utilitarian usually would not support animal testing because not everyone included is experiencing the best balance of happiness over unhappiness. The issue of animal testing brings up the question of what animal’s rights are.

Throughout the years, animal testing has played an essential role in leading to breakthrough discoveries in medicine, products, and cosmetics. Animal testing has been around since the fifth century in order to aid in studying the human body. Ever since, it has become the primary method for medical and scientific research; however, animal testing also raises several concerns. When it comes specifically to testing on animals, there is a chance the test results could be unreliable since they are inaccurate, which can not only waste money, but can delay the process for important cures and products. Each year across the United States hundreds of animals die from undergoing painful experiments to better improve the medical field. Although many great discoveries have come out of animal experimentation, alternative methods should be regulated due to the lack of results, high costs, and moral judgement.

he ethical issue of animal testing for medical testing is not new, for example the majority of the common vaccines were developed because medical research that utilized animal testing. Many philosophers have attempted to explain the rights of animals and some wrote on the lack of inherent rights. This issue is difficult because animals can’t speak for themselves but humans do have a place to play in the fight for animal rights. I will apply the principle of utility along with the moral theories of equality and speciesism in order show that animal testing for medical research is not an ethical practice.

Whether animal experimentation is justified or not has been undecided for many decades. Many years back, the debate was carried out by animal rights groups which were led by the Cambridge University to get rid of its plan for a primate research in 2004. Since this debate, many supporters have become more confident in speaking out what they believe and getting their points across to people.

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.