The Pros And Cons Of Inhumane Treatment Against Animals

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.

Every twelve months, more than 100 million creatures are executed in U.S. research facilities for chemical, medication, food, and cosmetics testing; science lessons; and interest driven experimentations (“Medical Testing on Animals Is Cruel And Unnecessary” 1). Some people are convinced that testing medicines on animals is needed so that one day, there may be

To begin, the experimental use of animals in medical studies is unethical. These creatures are confined in isolated cages where they are deprived of necessary environmental elements. It is not uncommon that they undergo ghastly methods of experimentation; including the inhalation of toxic fumes, the burning of their skin, and the crushing of their spinal cords ("People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals"). This information sheds light on the grim realities of animal experimentation. These creatures are living, breathing beings that do not deserve to be treated as they are nothing more than lab objects. Not only are they ripped from their natural habitats, but are forced to endure an irreversible psychological trauma . To put it in perspective, imagine a six-month-old child being taken from their parents and sent to a lab to undergo scientific experiments that could ultimately result in

Hunting is not a form of animal cruelty because its serves a purpose to the population of certain animals. Animal cruelty is when people force pain on animals which lead them to suffer a slow agonizing death. This is a large moral issue today that just keeps growing into a nationwide problem. For instance, morally humans believe it is okay to harm non-domesticated animals rather than domesticated animals such as our pets. Domesticated animals and non-domesticated animals still have behavioral instincts. A domesticated dog will attack if threatened and a non-domesticated wolf would do the same. Thinking of ourselves as the dominate species is untrue in the state that animals kill other animals for food, just as we as hunters do and anyone who eats animal products. Many will ask what the differences are between hunting, poaching, and true animal cruelty.

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.

Many experiments done in today’s society are questionable according to the standards set today by ourselves, and others. A large example, without a doubt, is the experimentation of chemicals and other drugs on animals.

A life can be taken or created in a matter of seconds and with that has come the miracles of modern medicine. People have come to expect science to save lives, prevent illness, relieve suffering and improve the quality of life. The means of curing, treating and preventing diseases are not achieved by magic or accident. Medical advances are gained through years of intensive research -- research in which laboratory animals have played, and continue to play, a critical role. Opponents of animal testing are wrongfully determined that this process is completely unethical.

Every year, in Europe and in North America tens of millions of animals are used for scientific research, for the testing of drugs and consumer goods as well as for educational purposes including dissection, and surgery practice. The Draize test and the LD50 (lethal dose 50 percent) in particular have been criticized for their animal cruelty and have gained increasing resistance on the part of the animal liberationists and the general public. The Draize test, which involves testing the acute acidity of cosmetics and household products on rabbits’ eyes, and the LD50, in which the toxicity of a substance by determining the dose required to kill fifty percent of the test group within fourteen days, however, are merely two example of the cruelty experienced by animals in biomedical research laboratories.

The use of animals in lab work is a controversial practice that is met with strong opposition from various animal welfare groups and just people in general. The argument of whether it is ethical or morally right to continue this practice has been going on for a long time and it seems we are now at a place where alternatives to animal testing are available. Scientists have been able to reconstruct testing methods that don’t revolve around the use of animals. Such alternatives that are currently being looked into, or have already begun being implemented, include in vitro cell cultures, organoids, organs-on-chips, human-on-a-chip, noninvasive imaging, and microdosing. These methods would all allow for the reduction of animal use in laboratories or the flat out replacement of them. In vitro cell culture is the utilization of animal or plant cells for the purpose of culturing them in an artificial environment. This artificial environment would provide many of the necessary components for normal cell function such as nutrients and growth factors. Another benefit to this innovation is the ease of manipulation, molecularly, and the cost and time benefit it would have over animal models of similar nature. This new innovation would allow for studies in pharmaceutical screenings and development as well as the production of various biological compounds such as therapeutic proteins. This method is

Just in the United States, “there are about 26 million different species, from dogs to birds, being used every year for medical and science related testing” (“Animals in Science / Research”). Throughout the process of testing, “monkeys are addicted to drugs, cats are deafened and have holes drilled into their skulls, sheep and pigs have their skin burned off, and rats have their spinal cords crushed” (“Animals in Medical Experiments”). As a result, animals face cruel conditions and have no way of fighting back. Although medical testings on animals may cure the deadliest diseases such as cancer and tuberculosis, the abuse and mistreatment these animals face while testing medicines should be deemed inhumane, and such practices should be banned in the United States.

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

The issues of ‘cruelty’ to animals and the humane treatment of animals are valid concerns in experimentation is greatly regulated. However, if animal testing is completely eliminated, the development of essential medical devices, medicines, and treatment will significantly be set back.

Animal experimentation has been an easy and ethically acceptable way to research and test medicines and treatments for humans since the time of the ancient Greeks. Animals opened the door for the scientists and philosophers of old to learn facts about the human body that were previously explained with magic and superstition. Naturally, science has come a long way since the ancient Greeks. Today, we have a whole host of medical resources at our disposal, which begs the question: Do we need animals in medical research anymore? In addition, the practices with regard to animals at thousands of labs across the United States have been notoriously vague for years. It has only been in the last fifty years that people have begun to question the necessity of animal testing, and the degree of freedom that lab workers should be given with these animals. Due to the availability of other options, the unnecessary testing of already proven theories, and the unreliability of results, it is evident that the rights and humane treatment of animals has precedence over their use in medical research.

Every year, millions of animals suffer through painful and unnecessary tests. Animals in laboratories all over the world live lives of deprivation, pain, isolation, and torture. Even though vast studies show that animal experimentation often lacks validity, leading to harmful human reactions, we still continue to use this method of experimentation, while many other less-expensive and more beneficial alternatives exist. Going beyond the issue of animal experimentation being morally wrong, this form of research is also hindering medical progress. Although the use of animals in laboratories is said to be necessary for the welfare and health of humans, people mistakenly believe that this immoral and unscientific method of experimentation is

Animal research has been going on for thousands of years. It is estimated that in the U.S that about 26 million animals are used for testing and experiments each year. Animals are used to find treatments for diseases, test medication, and test products to see if they are safe for human use. People might say that animal testing has help with the creation of live saving treatments for humans and animals. Others, like me, believe that some of the test performed on animals may be cruel and inhumane. In this essay I am going to show the pros and cons of animal research to get a better understanding for this practice.