The Pros And Cons Of Animal Testing

It is not often that one sees the gruesome ways of animal experimentation in person. In short, it is the use of non-human animals in labs to find variables that affect the behavior of the human biological system (Google). Many people-like the PETA organization or the Humane Society-oppose these practices, but even this opposition is not enough to stop testing from happening for things such as cosmetics testing, chimpanzee experimentation, and genetically engineered farm animals. Although some of the testing produces positive results-such as a drug working-it is at the expense of millions of tortured animals; therefore, a simple solution would be to prohibit the use of animals in research.

Have you ever felt insecure about your appearance? Do you wear makeup to feel more beautiful? Did you know in order for you to feel beautiful an innocent life has been destroyed? Animals are not only being tested on for makeup; they are also regularly used for cruel and extreme medical experiments. Although animal testing has created many medical advancements, it simultaneously degrades and causes harm to the helpless animals.

According to the National Institutes of Health, animal testing has been around since the days of philosopher Aristotle. According to ProCon.org, there are an estimated 26 million animals used for scientific and commercial testing in the U.S. alone. Animal testing has brought many good things to the medical world, such as the treatment various disease. Also, the animal is being tested by many cosmetics companies. On the other hand, organizations like PETA- People of Ethical Treatment of Animals have fought against the medical testing of animals. There are pros and cons that come with the usage of animals in the biomedical and cosmetic testing, and each side needs should be carefully examined before deciding one way or another.

First and foremost, the inaccuracy of animal testing has caused such tragedies in human lives. The animal testing will give the scientist ideas of what may happen, but nothing is secured or accurate. As a matter of fact, ninety-six percent of affirmative tested animal results fail with humans (“Test Drugs With Technology”). For instance, in the 1950s a sleeping pill thalidomide was tested on rats. The drug passed every exam for the thalidomide, but when it was released to the public, it caused ten thousand babies to be born with astringent deformities (“Thalidomide”). Also, a drug, Vioxx, was tested on mice and showed to have protection for the heart. Tragically, when it was released, it caused more than 27,000 cardiac deaths (“Test Drugs

Animal testing, although extremely debated, is something that should no longer be practiced anywhere around the world. Let’s start by taking a look at just how much animal testing is practiced in the United States as well as in other countries. The article called, “Animal Use Statistics” from the Humane Society International, says, “Only a small proportion of countries collect and publish data concerning their use of animals for testing and research, but it is estimated that more than 115 million animals- including mice, rats, birds, fish, rabbits, guinea pigs, farm animals, dogs, cats, and non-human primates- are used and/or killed in laboratory experiments each year around the world.” I find this to be very absurd and so wrong that this

Every year a variety of animals are put into experiments in laboratories. They are tested using new substances, ointments, nasal spray and many more products. It has been seen throughout our lives where we see pictures or articles that talk about how animals are tortured and abused in these laboratories. From all this, there have been many organizations that started a movement to ban animal testing. This new movement has received a lot of popularity from the people. It has made many companies that are against this find ways to show, print, and tell us that their product was safely tested on animals or not tested at all. They have tried to come up with new alternatives to stop animal testing or to simply hide the fact that they do. One major way they test on animals is using medical products. Also, products that benefit humans are tested on animals before they are sold to consumers. Although there has been much change in the way animals are put through experiments the question still lingers, Should animals experiment with products like medicine?

Charles Darwin, a renowned scientist, wrote to the Oxford zoologist Ray Lankester in 1871 : “You ask about my opinion on vivisection (animal testing). I quite agree…it is a subject that makes me sick with horror, so I will not say another word about it else I shall not sleep to-night, ” So you’d think, that nearly 150 years after Darwin’s words there would be some change in opinion. You’d think that when a scientist’s idol shows absolute disgust for animal testing they’d stop, especially as there are more effective and money-saving methods today. Experimenting on animals is cruel and morally wrong. Even as I speak, animals are being crammed into cages in the name of medical ‘research’. Animals are very different from humans, their anatomical structures are also different, so why test on animals when it the drugs they are being tested with are meant for HUMANS? What kind of sick logic is this?

Products that fill the shelves of supermarkets have a more complicated background than many believe. Behind every ingredient that companies list on packaging of cosmetics and medicine, both prescription and over the counter, is a choice that corporations must make regarding the treatment of animals. Laboratories harm animals and even kill them when conducting laboratory tests for new products. Numerous tests have been created since the wide use of animals, such as artificial skin tests that have no negative consequence for them. Global governments have differing laws dealing with these harmful means of production, but many allow this to take place, while even protecting household pets. Many people do not think of the process that precedes products on store shelves. Deadly animal testing with questionable ingredients is constantly being proven to be outdated by new types of tests for both cosmetic and medical uses.

Joseph Murray, winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize for medicine, once said, “There would not be a single person alive today as a result of an organ or bone marrow transplant without animal experimentation.” Animal experimentation is research conducted on live specimens such as mice, rats, and chimps in order to develop medicines and medical procedures. It has helped develop many cures for diseases, and has greatly increased our knowledge in the medical field. Animal testing is ethical, beneficial, and necessary for humans.

Millions of animals suffer painfully and even die as an outcome of scientific research. The effects of drugs, food additives, cosmetics and other chemical products slowly kill innocent animals every year. Although some people believe animal testing is necessary, others firmly believe that the alternatives choices that have been discovered over the years are the way to go. Especially because these choices are cheaper, more reliable and do not harm animals. This essay looks into the pros and cons of animal testing.

Thirdly, there are many alternatives that now exist that can replace the harmful use of animals. Methods such as in vitro testing, advanced computer-modeling techniques (often referred to as in silico models), and studies with human volunteers are ways that are more inexpensive than animal testing and provide better results. For example, in vitro tests can be used where scientists study the cell cultured in a petri dish. These tests can produce more relevant results than animal testing because they use human cells which are more accurate. This methods and the other methods are not altered by the difference in species making it easier to apply the tests to humans, taking less time and money. In addition, Harvard’s Wyss Institute has created “organs-on-chips” that contain human cells grown in a state-of-the-art system to mimic the structure and function of human organs and organ systems. The chips can be used instead of animals in disease research, drug testing, and toxicity testing and have been shown to replicate human physiology, diseases, and drug responses more accurately than harsh animal experiments do. If these tests can be used rather than the testing on animals, then why do we still murder primates for unnecessary reasons?

Despite the cruelty that is behind animal testing, it's impossible to deny that it has achieved amazing things. Animal tests have saved millions of human lives around the world. They played major roles in the development of antibiotics, organ transplant surgeries, and vaccinations for deadly diseases. These drugs and surgeries are some of the most important medical breakthroughs ever. Virtually all of the medicine we have today wouldn't be possible without being tested on animals. As well as medicine, most cosmetic brands either conduct animal tests themselves or use chemicals they know are safe from previous tests in the past. Everything from makeup to cleaning products all starts of in an animal testing lab. The reason animal testing has been seen as the only way of experimentation for so many years is that of animals likeness to humans. Animals are the perfect test subjects to investigate how diseases spread over generations. They grow similar to us but much faster. It is said by scientists that if animal testing is stopped, no more medical steps will be made in the future. There will never be a cure for cancer or a vaccine for aids, paralyzed people will never walk again and people with mental illness will

The use of living, breathing animals in labs for research and product testing has been a topic of great controversy for years. Over 100 million animals are killed in labs for research and experimentation purposes each year in the U.S. alone, according to PETA’s article, “Experiments on Animals: Overview”. Unfortunately, no matter how a person feels about animals, it doesn’t change the fact that millions of their innocent lives are being taken advantage of every year. There are a few different viewpoints people have about animals, as some see them as loving pets and companions, while others see them as a logical method for conducting experiments to advance research. Unfortunately, no matter how a person feels about animals, it doesn’t change the fact that millions of their innocent lives are being taken advantage of every year. Animal experimentation for scientific or commercial use is a practice that needs to be eradicated for its unnecessary and unethical treatment of animal subjects.

Throughout history man has suffered from a myriad of diseases and health conditions that we only know more about and can treat or prevent through animal testing. Animals in captivity are not only used to advance medical research, but also to prevent species extinction and for educational purposes. The debate about holding animals’ captive has been a long and heated one that has no endpoint anywhere in sight. The main argument of the opposition to using animals in biomedical research, zoos and aquariums is that animals are treated in inhumanely.

At least 100 million animals die every year from animal testing (PETA). This is not only an extortionate amount, it is an imprudent and unnecessary practice. Animal testing, according to Cruelty Free International is, “the use of non-human animals for purposes of determining the safety of substances such as foods or drugs”. By understanding what animal testing is, the history behind it, the negative implications, and the scientific invalidity, changes can be made and progress can be made towards to efforts of eliminating animal testing.