Protecting Animals From Neglect And Cruelty Essay

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.

Mohandas K. Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”. What, then, does it say about the people of the United States, for allowing the deaths of millions of innocent animals for the benefit of research, that in most cases is not even useful? 100 million animals are killed each year due to animal testing or experimentation (PETA,1). In the past, it was acceptable to use animal testing for scientific research, but now that there are other viable alternatives to the testing of innocent animals, such as in-vitro, stem cell testing, non-incasing imaging techniques, and micro-dosing. Animal testing should only be used in cases where said drug or treatment will treat life-threatening diseases. Animal testing in this day and age is both unnecessary and cruel, as there are multiple alternatives and the most of the time is not useful in human research.

When visiting an animal shelter, petting the beloved family dog, or seeing a funny cat video on Facebook, it’s hard not to melt at the sight. Who could ever harm such cute, innocent creatures? It may be hard to think of how that could be possible, yet many companies have no problem hurting animals for their own benefit. Medication brands spanning the U.S., China, Germany, Canada and more test their products on animals daily to approve them for human use. Cruelty Free International and the Dr. Hadwen Trust states that at least 115 million animals may be used in experiments worldwide each year. The experiments administered to the poor animals are cruel and unethical, ranging from breeding them with the purpose of inducing mental illnesses or skinning them raw and injecting them with electrodes and chemicals. Furthermore, research has proved that the results are so unreliable and faulty that the testing is not even necessary. Evidence has proven that animals are subjected to unimaginable horrors during animal testing for the purpose of advancing the modern medical world, yet the entire operation is unnecessary for several reasons.

The tension between animal rights and medical/cosmetic research is an extreme issue in today’s society. Every day millions of mice, rats, rabbits, primates, cats, dogs, and other animals are locked inside cold, barren cages in laboratories across the country. They languish in pain, ache with loneliness, and long to roam free and use their minds, but all they can do is sit and wait in fear of the next terrifying, painful procedure that will be performed on them next. Animal Research is a very well known act and has been around for some time. Most of the advancements in the 20th century are because of animals. Many of the products we use each day from medicines to household products are tested generally on animals. Many people around the world think animal research is the right thing to do because of the benefits humans may receive from it. Humans often benefit from successful animal research, although, the pain, the suffering, and the deaths of animals are not worth the possible human benefits. Animals and people are alike in many ways; they feel, think, behave, and experience pain. Animal testing is by far the most heartless act anyone could preform; it is inhumane; there are other alternatives and results are not necessarily reliable.

Over the past few decades, animals have been enduring unimaginable pain and fear due to being used to test the everyday products we use. And as unfortunate as it sounds, animals simply do not have the choice in these cruel experiments scientist put them through. According to data collected by F. Barbara Orlans for her book, In the Name of Science: Issues in Responsible Animal Experimentation, “sixty percent of all animals used in testing are used in biomedical research and product-safety testing” (Orlans There will always be different points of views on this troubling topic, some may be against it because they see animals as their companions or some may support it because they only see animals as objects to move forward with science and experimental

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.

Animal testing has been a long-standing method for testing products both biomedical and product-safety testing in the commercial/cosmetic industries. Experiments they are put through are inarguably cruel, uncalled for, and unnecessary. No matter one’s personal perception of animals and their rights, the fact remains that they are being exploited by research facilities and cosmetic companies across the country. Even with the few laws in place to protect the welfare of animals, they are in constant violation in the name of science or need, an argument that is no longer valid. Tom Regan, a philosophy professor at North Carolina State University, states "Animals have a basic moral right to respectful treatment.

For centuries, the ethics of animal experimentation in the biomedical field have been questioned. Do the benefits of animals used in research outweigh the pain the animals endure? Animal rights activists will argue there are new alternatives that there are more accurate than animal testing. The success of trials on animals, has led to the continued use by scientists within the medical field. Additionally, testing on animals instead of humans puts humans out of harms way. The first Animal Cruelty Act was created in 1835 to regulate the use of animals for scientific purposes. According to Franco (2013), the “Enactment of the 1986 Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, remains the only known legislation to regulate animal experiments for nearly 50 years.” Even so, there will continue to be two sides of animal research, one side believes, without animal research there would not be the medical advancements present to this day. On the other hand, the use of animal research is unethical and the finding of new alternatives may also be even more beneficial than animal testing. Therefore, the medical field should either seek alternatives to animal research or the methods are refined to reduce the unethical treatment towards the animals as subjects.

In today’s humanity, multitude amounts of animals are mistreated and eradicated during animal testing. Because testing on animals has become a law throughout the world, a lot of scientists have not realized the immortality that has been put upon the animals. Is it fair to test cosmetics and potential carcinogens on animals? During each year, millions of animals are tested on for biomedical research, chemical testing and training (Lee Bowman 2011). Testing cosmetics and chemicals on animals is catastrophic because it is abusive, detrimental and carcinogenic.

In the United States alone, over 100 million animals are injured and killed in the name of science. Animals are poisoned, burned, and blinded everyday in product tests for numerous industries such as household cleaning, cosmetics, and manufacturers of personal care products. Even though many companies have banned the testing of their products on animals, some corporations continue to put chemicals into animals’ eyes and onto the shaven skin without any form of pain relief. No doubt is this form of testing cruel, especially now that scientists have began developing new advanced ways to tests products that are quicker and more cost effective. These tests are also increasingly more accurate than the endangering of animals method of testing. Some

The world we know today would not exist without animals. Today’s medicine and amenities have made everyone’s lives significantly better, but the methods used to find some of these things are not so wonderful. Namely, testing products on animals. Product testing on animals has been used for several breakthroughs in medicine and how we live our lives, but is it at a greater cost than it is reward? Animal testing has been used for several hundred years as a way to find new developments in medicine; however, some of the means of this are terrible and animals are subjected to great pain and die in captivity.

As you walk into your nearest CVS Pharmacy or Walgreen’s to pick up that bottle of shampoo, your medication, or the makeup brand you may use, have you ever stopped to consider what may have happened to innocent animals in order for you to be able to purchase these products? Many people see animals as companions; however, according to a 2013 Gallup Poll, 56% of the U.S. sees them as a means to further scientific research. (Gallup Poll) Yet, the fact remains: animals are being tested on by a myriad of cosmetics brands and research facilities. Animal testing is unethical and needs to be banned, as thousands of animals suffer serious injuries due to the process of experimentation, as well as the fact that American taxpayers pay millions for research purposes that may not be applicable to humans.

Over 100 million animals in 2015 including rodents, dogs and cats have been killed and tortured in the laboratories of the United States of America (reference). Debates have been erupting during the past few years concerning the experimentations done on animals. Many animal right organizations have stood up against testing cosmetics, medications, and certain chemicals on these living creatures. This essay will be covering an argument against the experimentations done on animals ethically and scientifically and the disagreements regarding such concern.

Animal testing is widely used by many cosmetic companies to develop new makeups, hair products, and perfumes to ensure the safety of the product. More than 100,000 animals suffer and die in these experiments every year to create new cosmetics. Thus, it is ethical and morally unacceptable for scientists to use live animals in research of cosmetics because humans differ from animals, it is cruel and inhumane and also performs experiments that are unnecessary. Animals are like humans in certain ways. They feel fear, pain, and pleasure. Animal testing violates animal rights and should be put an end. “They violate the rights of an animal to be free from unnatural diseases, injuries or mental and behavior problem,” said John McArdle, director of

Using animals in research and to test the safety of products has been a topic of heated debate for decades. According to data collected by F. Barbara Orlans for her book, In the Name of Science: Issues in Responsible Animal Experimentation, sixty percent of all animals used in testing are used in biomedical research and product-safety testing (62). People have different feelings for animals; many look upon animals as companions while others view animals as a means for advancing medical techniques or furthering experimental research. However individuals perceive animals, the fact remains that animals are being exploited by research facilities and cosmetics