Mariah Antopia
AP/Dual III - Period 5
12 December 2017
Title
This is an opinion essay that will be written for scientists who are hostile about stopping animal testing for scientific purposes.
Animal testing is performed every year on millions of animals for the purpose of research into the effectiveness of drugs and treatment for diseases. Many of the animals that get tested vary from a wide range of rodents, to primates, to household pets such as cats and dogs. Today, general testing on animals are cruel, expensive, and generally inapplicable to humans. The world’s most innovative scientists have developed new methods for studying diseases which are safer alternatives for humans than animal testing. Animal testing must be stopped because of the negative consequences it creates. For one, by ending animal testing the U.S could save around 3 trillion dollars a year that are spent on testing alone. In addition, many animals could be set free from the suffering and physical discomfort that they endure while being subjects of human testing. Finally, if animal testing were to be stopped, then scientists could focus on testing that correlates better to human physiology. Experimentation using animals persists not because it’s the best science, but because of archaic habits, resistance to change, and a lack of outreach and education.
Aristotle was the first the conduct biomedical testing on animals in the years 324-332 BCE. Animal testing has helped develop vaccines for smallpox, polio, and even led to the discovery of Penicillin, the first antibacterial drug used by most doctors. Today, the majority of animals used for testing are rats and mice, but also include guinea pigs, dogs, rabbits and monkeys. The National Institutes of Health in the United States is one of the largest funder for animal experiments worldwide. Over 115 million animals per year fall victims to genetic manipulation, forced chemical exposure, and inhalation of toxic gases. (“Experiments on Animals: Overview”, par. 3) Since the 21st century, science has headed into a period of advancement that has allowed many older scientific testing techniques, such as animal testing, to be abandoned. Biomedical scientists have created testing
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.
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.
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.
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.
A long time of debates go back and forth on the rights of all animals with further argument or debates, do humans have the right to use animals on medical testing and lab use? There are several issues that can be placed in this argument this research will acknowledge four important topics in the rights of animal testing. Is it right to use animals for testing? Is it right to compare animal DNA to human DNA in these animal experiments? Is it right to use real animals instead of computers to generate results? Is it right to state animals are being protected and cared for while giving toxins to make them sick? Therefore, the question needs to be asked if animals should be used for scientific experiments in labs all across the globe.
For decades, people have been using animals as the go-to method for testing scientific breakthroughs, but not only is this concept outdated, it is a cruel punishment inflicted on harmless creatures. Animal cruelty is a well-known problem around the United States that is a growing issue for debate. A study has shown that less than 2% of human illnesses are found in animals and over 98% are ineffective on animals (Peta2). “The Food and Drug Administration reports that 92 out of every 100 drugs that pass animal tests fail in humans” (PETA). Not only does animal testing hurt the animals, it is a waste of time. These are just some of the reasons why animal testing is pointless and should be banned. It is time that the United States recognizes animal testing as unacceptable because of its negative effects on both humans and animals: it is inhumane for many reasons, it proves to be very expensive and costly, and it’s pointless on many accounts.
Animal testing has been going on for years; however, few question the ethics of testing medicines that would cure human diseases on animals. Various animals being tested in labs and cruelly force them to be a host of harmful diseases negatively affect their health. Animal testing is cruel and unusual punishment and should discontinue. Animal experimentation is a subject that many know of but don’t know much about. Although it is a big topic, people still don’t pay much attention to it because of their lack of information. Experimenting is a cruel process that causes many innocent animals to suffer. Many cases of violations towards experimenting have been found as well. Testing on animals is unnecessary when laying down the
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
Over 26 million animals are tortured and tested on every year, in the United States alone. Most are used for testing medical treatments, which people for animal testing say has saved countless numbers of lives, but how many has it destroyed in the making? Although testing on animals has lead to major scientific breakthroughs, the way in which they reach them is incredibly inhumane. We having the ability, should try our best to stop this wide spread animal testing because the tests are inhumane, the animals are abused during the tests, and the results can be achieved in other ways.
“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).
Animal testing has helped us for years discover cures for sickness in humans and sometimes even animals. But as long as they test the animals humanely, animals can be tortured with pain from the testing. However many efforts are being made to reduce the testing to a minimum. Scientists know that without the tests they wouldn’t know how to check the safety of new drugs.
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.
Everyday animals are being locked up in cages and are being tested on. Animals in laboratories do not provide reliable results in human beings, and are going through cruel and inhumane tests. There are also alternative methods that replace the need for the animals. Testing animals has contributed to many life savings cures and treatments, along with animals themselves benefiting from the results of the testing. Animals are also similar to humans in many ways and are appropriate test subjects. Animal testing needs to stop because every year 100 million animals die. The animals have no say in this treatment being done to them. Animals cannot be tested in a variety of human procedures despite what the benefits are.
About 1,027,450 animals were used for testing in 2007 (Evans). Animal experimentation is when animals are used to test the safety of products. These products range from cosmetics to medication and anatomy. Many animals are used for testing such as dogs, monkeys, rats, birds, and mice. Some people believe that these testings should go on because it gives essential information about humans (“Animal Experimentation”). Those who are familiar with animal experimentation will have a better idea about all the ways that animals testing is unneeded. They will know how this process is abusive and cruel to animals. People will also know about how there are now new technologies that could act as alternatives. Animal Experimentation should stop because animal testing is unnecessary, it's cruel to animals, and there are alternatives.
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.