The Pros And Cons Of Animal Testing

Although there have been significant medical breakthroughs based in animal testing and experimentation, animal testing is a poor method of science as it is largely useless and

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.

Almost every medicine that can be found in an average person’s medicine cabinet has been tested on an animal at one point or another. A government funded corporation called the Food and Drug Administration, abbreviated as the FDA, is in charge of making sure that all drugs, cosmetics, biological products, and more are efficient, secure, and safe for human usage. The FDA will not allow any drug to be released or sold to the human population if it has not first been tested on animals. In fact, when a drug is first created it is tested on animals before humans are even allowed to test the drug at clinical trial centers. Whether or not animal testing should be done for scientific purposes, has been a widely argued topic for many years

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.

In 2014 a group organization called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) noted that more than 100 million animals are harmed or killed during animal testing. Animal testing is cruel and inhumane. Animals are being used for medical testing, but are not being cared for before, during, or after testing. Animals and humans are very similar, in that we have the same organ system which performs the same tasks in a similar fashion. Even though animals and humans share comparable DNA, we fail to see the similarities in physical and emotional pain that animals endure during testing. Subjecting even one animal to that type of cruelty, all in the name of science is one too many.

Over one hundred million animals every year die from animal testing, in the medical and cosmetic fields alone (“Experiments on Animals: Overview”). Animal testing is as big of a problem today as it has been in the past. Most people do not agree with animal testing today but years ago it was one of the only ways of testing. It was considered, if not the only, effective and efficient ways of testing a product’s toxicity. To date, animal testing is not warranted because of the development of new technology and past discoveries. Many organizations and brands publicly oppose animal testing. The companies that stand against animal testing are broad and diverse, ranging from medical to cosmetic testing, advocating that at its core, this issue is

Over one hundred million animals every year die from animal testing, in the medical and cosmetic fields alone (“Experiments on Animals: Overview”). Animal testing is as big of a problem today as it has been in the past. Most people do not agree with animal testing today but years ago it was one of the only ways of testing. It was considered, if not the only, effective and efficient ways of testing a product’s toxicity. To date, animal testing is not warranted because of the development of new technology and past discoveries. Many organizations and brands publicly oppose animal testing. The companies that stand against animal testing are broad and diverse, ranging from medical to cosmetic testing, advocating that at its core, this issue is

plays crucial role in acceptance of drugs. Scientists said that it is very necessary to

Do you think that animal testing is economically sound? Animal testing is wrong for the

control of disease, pain and suffering is based on knowledge attained through research with lab animals.” Without that testing, humans may be exposed to dangerous medications and surgeries. The history of animal testing has gone as far back as the third and fourth centuries. Animal testing pros include a longer life expectancy for humans, in addition to a healthier life made possible by analyzing the data from testing.

Cosmetic testing on animals is very inhumane and cruel. There are many different things tested on different animals. Skin sensitization is tested on mainly guinea pigs and mice. The product is either applied to the animals skin or injected under their skin. Redness, irritation and scaling may occur. Eye irritation is most commonly tested on by rabbits. The rabbit’s eyes are forced open and products are forced into their eyes, this may result in redness, bleeding or blindness. Oral toxicity is tested on rats. The rats get a feeding tube forced down their throats and then product is put down the tube to see how many rats die from the product. Inhalation toxicity is tested by rats. The rats are forced to inhale the test substance from a tube. This may result in bleeding of the nose, convulsions, paralysis and seizures. There are many different ways the products are tested. Most are very inhumane and often times result in

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.

Animal testing has always been a topic of debate in the masses, especially in the last

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?