Every year, thousands of animals are forced to undergo multiple experiments and procedures in laboratories for the sake of testing new products or for scientific purposes. Some issues that are in support of testing on lab animals include its contribution to many life-saving cures and treatments, allows to test on a living body system, are appropriate research subjects due to their similarity to human subjects, animals do not have human rights, allows for human products to be tested for safety, religious beliefs that entitle humans to have dominion over all animals, and this method of testing is a small price to pay for advancing medical progress. According to a study done by the California Biomedical Research Association, “…nearly every medical breakthrough in the last 100 years has resulted directly from research using animals. We have made significant progress against diseases such as polio, smallpox, cancer, heart diseases, and diabetes among many, thanks to animals.” Allowing scientists to do their lab research on animals enables them to explore new ways to cure diseases or develop safer products for humans to use. Some values that are in support of animal testing include safety, quality of life, education, and health. Some values that are not in support of animal lab testing include this practice being cruel and inhumane, other ethical alternatives to testing new products, animal drug tests are not necessarily safe for humans, some animals can process emotions and
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.
The use of animals in scientific research has hugely increased in the last few years. A research conducted by Dr. Hadwen Trust suggests that approximately 115 millions animals are used in scientific experimentation every year (qtd in “Fact and figures”). Animal testing, also known as animal vivisection, is a process before human clinical trials, where animals are used in experiments to determine toxicity, dosing and efficacy of drugs (Biology dictionary). Although some scientists argue that animal testing is necessary to ensure safety, animal testing is unreliable, dangerous and unnecessary.
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.
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.
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.
Animals that are put forward to medical experimentation contribute to cures and treatments that have saved many lives. The California Biomedical Research Association states that “nearly every medical breakthrough in the last 100 years has resulted directly from research using animals.” (California Biomedical Research Association). Animals that are used for these tests have contributed incredible discoveries on unimaginable areas starting on Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Heart Disease/Stroke, Diabetes, Birth Defects, and Spinal Cord Injuries. Animal testing has made medical discoveries to go from antibiotics to blood transfusions, from
We often see animal testing as an inhumane act of cruelty, however, we do not recognize the benefits and reasoning behind it all. After carefully studying the reasoning behind animals in medical research, I was appalled by the numerous beneficial outcomes. Research professionals tells us “Medical testing on animals has provided humans with an understanding of how body reacts to certain medications, diseases, or vaccines (animalresearch.info).” Without conducting such research, humans would have no further advancements in medicine, nor any knowledge of their effects. Have you ever noticed the prominence of commercials advertising a new medication? Whether it was a new birth control, blood thinner, or vaccine, more than likely, an animal was used to test the medicine. Animal Smart researchers explains how “Vaccines such as smallpox, measles, mumps, diphtheria and tetanus would have taken much longer to develop without the use of animal research (animal smart). Such diseases would have taken the lives of many young children and adults if there were no
It is estimated that each year over 100 million animals in the United States are used for animal testing (ProCon.org, 2017). This is unlikely an underestimate as it is impossible to receive a correct count worldwide. Thousands of animals are to be euthanized from the complications they endure from testing. Animals are used to test scientific developments and commercial products. New medical and non-medical experiments are tested on animals to verify the harmfulness of new medications or the safety of a product that will be used on humans. Although the importance of animal testing brings more medical advancement over the years using fewer humans in experiments, it is still an expensive way of researching inaccurate results and at the same time, it is a practice of animal cruelty.
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.
Research on living animals has been practiced since at least 500 BC. An estimated 26 million animals are used every year in the United States for scientific and commercial testing. The use of animals for scientific testing should not continue because animal testing can be cruel, some animals aren’t protected by law, and there are alternative testing methods.
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
Scientists, such as Aristotle, would perform experiments on living animals. These scientists would often conduct animal experiments to advance the understanding of anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology and then relate it back to humans. They would even use animal testing as a method to test surgical procedures before using them on real patients. In the past handful of decades the practice of using animals for biomedical research is strongly criticized by animal protection and rights groups. Laws have even been passed to make these studies more ‘humane’. The real debate though is over the ethics of animal testing. It has been estimated that the number of animals that are tested is around 100 million each
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.
Animals are used by scientists to develop research for new medications and experiments daily. The Humane Society is working to decrease the use of animals in laboratories by promoting the advancement of affective alternative approaches. Animal testing provides a useful model for treatments of diseases and possible cures. According to the US-based foundation of Biomedical Research, animal testing has made a major advance within the last century- for veterinary health and humans. The practice of using animals for testing has been debated for many decades. Is it morally right or wrong to use animals during experiments? Does federal law ensure that animals used in research are treated humanely? When considering the benefits of animal testing,