Essay about We Must Search for Alternatives to Animal Testing

Animal testing is crucial because without it, scientists might never find developments for biomedical research. Worldwide, there are millions of diseases that create devastation in countless families. However, there are vaccines, cures, and processes that scientists have came up with to help fix this problem. How fast and efficiently they come up with these treatments is the difference in many lives saved. Animal testing has been proven to speed up the process of collecting research

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.

The on going attacks on the lab staff’s morals, attacked on facilities and the lack of support from the public have made medical testing on animals a significant dilemma among the public. The two organizations that are in the middle of this argument are the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Americans for Medical Progress (AMP). AMP defends that animals are biologically similar to humans and are susceptible to over 200 diseases and play a vital role in advances in medical care and treatments. Many of these successes have created treatments, cures and vaccines that have increased health care resources for both human and animals a like. The problem with this success comes the concern on whether or not it is

Interestingly animal research has created advancement in the understanding and treatment of conditions such as breast cancer, brain injury, childhood leukemia, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis and many more. Additionally, other people feel that animals themselves benefit from the results of animal testing. Millions of animals have received vaccines for rabies, distemper, canine parvo virus and other diseases as a result of animal testing and research. The issue with this reasoning is that there is not any regard for the animals’ life when there is alternative means of testing. The value that we place on the lives of animals should be the same as what we place on human

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

For instance, the polio vaccine, tested on animals, reduced the global occurrence of the disease from 350,000 cases 1998 to 223 cases in 2012. Consequently, the testing of the polio vaccine on animals saved over 300,000 lives. However, animals are being harmed in this process, due to the drugs that are included in the vaccine. Additionally, 92% of the drugs that are tested on animal testing fail once they reach human trial, because it either doesn’t work, or they are potentially dangerous. This demonstrates that, animal testing is not needed if the drugs work on the animals, but fail once they reach human trials. In conclusion, animal testing is helpful to human beings, but it is hurtful and dangerous to the animals.

In fact “The California Biomedical Research Association states that nearly every medical breakthrough in the last 100 years has resulted directly from research using animals.” This quote shows how animal testing really is extremely effective.Even though most people see animal testing as torturous to animals they are very far off from the facts.Animal testing really is the best and fastest way to discover new vaccines and release the new vaccines to the people that need them.There are so many different diseases out there today and animal testing can help us find the cures!As shown above, animal testing is the only way today’s society can overcome the many sicknesses that are spreading throughout our

Scientists use animals in order to make medical advancements to help humans however, it is often difficult to get the same results in both animals and humans. The biology of humans and animals is not the same, although there are some similarities. According to Akhtar, in an article titled “The Flaws and Human Harms of Animal Experimentation”, “Annually, more than 115 million animals are used worldwide in experimentation or to supply the biomedical industry” (Akhtar). Millions of animals are used, against their will, to try to help humans. Although there are some instances in which the experiments have helped humans, is it really worth the pain and suffering that all of those animals have had to suffer. Akhtar also stated “Although it is widely accepted that medicine should be evidence based, animal experimentation as a means of informing human health has generally not been held, in practice, to this standard” (Akhtar). There has been some cases in which testing medicine on animals has benefitted humans, however this type of result is hard to duplicate. Often when a result is achieved in the lab, there are many influences that can cause these

The Animal Welfare Act was enacted in 1966, and it is the only U.S law that keeps animals safe in research and testing. The website procon.org states, “The AWA covered 820,812 animals...which leaves around 25 million other animals not covered.” The animals forced into experimentation are especially vulnerable to mistreatment and abuse without the protection of the AWA. Even the animals that are protected aren’t fully cared for. “For the less than 10% of animals in labs covered by the AWA the law sets minimal standards for housing, feeding, veterinary care…” This shows why it’s not acceptable for animals to continue being forced into testing procedures and

According to The California Biomedical Research Association, “nearly every medical breakthrough in the past century has resulted directly from research using animals.” In addition, The World Health Organisation conducted a worldwide vaccination program which drastically reduced polio from “350,000 cases in 1988 to 223 cases in 2012.” And finally, if thalidomide had been tested on animals before the 1957 outbreak in Germany, thousands of infants would have been saved of having phocomelia. In the end, animal testing can and is viewed to be a good thing by many people out

It is often argued by many people that using animals for scientific research and experimentation have led to several major medical breakthroughs and is a safer alternative

But also, since the beginning of animal experimentations about a century ago, there have been a large number of medical advancements. According to Simon Festing, the animal research has helped us understand the biology of both humans and animals and also lead us to the discovery of cures and treatments of diseases. (570) Some examples of treatments are anesthesia, blood transfusions, penicillin, medicine for asthma, hypertension, and leukemia, vaccines against polio, measles and meningitis. We now know more about animal testing… C. Finally, let us move on to the ways this issue can be solved, as in the alternatives and what we can do to put an end to it.

Most arguments in favor of the use of animal testing for scientific use lead to the benefits it has for humans. Animal research has contributed to virtually every major medical advancement - for both human and veterinary health. From antibiotics to blood transfusion, from dialysis to organ transplantation, from vaccinations to chemotherapy, surgery and joint replacement, virtually every current treatment, cure and restraint of disease is based on understanding attained through research with lab animals. For example, dogs and fish were used for the development of insulin, which is now able to help control diabetes. The House of Lords Select Committee, the Parliamentary Animal Procedures Committee and the independent Nuffield Council on Bioethics all agreed that testing on animals is a scientifically sound method, has developed great results and is important for future advances (Pro-Test). Animal testing is viewed as the best option for medical progress, since it has had much success in the past. Robert Koch, a Nobel prize winner, conducted experiments on animals and stated, “Think you’re in the running for a future Nobel prize in medicine? You may want to consider using animals in your studies… More than two-thirds of all nobel prizes in medicine have been awarded for discoveries that involved animal research” (Hayhurst 21).

The Animal Welfare Act established in 1966, thus protecting the basic rights of animals and ensure “humane care and treatment” (Government Publishing Office). This act focuses to ensure the animal's safety in all aspects such as the transportation, sale, housing, care, handling, and treatment. The act also requires research facilities to provide training to help eliminate and/or minimize the distress or pain of any animals during testing. Federally funded research facilities are required to keep records of the conditions of animals. If anything is in violation of the rules and regulations, the agency will revoke or suspend the funding till further notice. The government is also allowed to regulate the age and conditions of animals for certain research projects. Investigations and inspections are also implemented if the government feels the rules and regulations are not being met. In order to conduct research or be in possession of animals other than pets, you must obtain a licence. This license holds you to the government rules and regulations under the Animal Welfare Act. Civil or criminal penalties will be issued based on the