The Cruelty of Animal Testing and the Need for Alternative Methods
In his book Inhumane Society: The American Way of Exploiting Animals, Dr. Michael W. Fox estimates that twenty-five to thirty-five million animals are used in the United States each year for laboratory testing and research (58). Research involving tests done on animals is unnecessary and cruel. More humane methods of research need to be employed.
Fox states that animal tests on cosmetics and household products are nothing more than a "public relations campaign to dispel public concern and give a false sense of security" (61). Laboratory animals are needlessly exploited and made to suffer cruelly in the name of research and testing. Fox also states that most companies that are continuing to test products on animals do so only because they do not want to have to begin putting warning labels on products that might alarm the consumers (61).
According to the book 67 Ways to Save the Animals by Anna Sequoia, there are many cosmetics companies, such as Revlon and Avon, that have stopped testing their products on animals. However, there are still companies, such as Gillette, that continue to test their products on animals (26).
Many animal tests were formulated back in the 1920s and 1930s. These tests are still being used today. According to the journal by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), published in March of 1995, many tests are still being used even though they are not terribly effective (9).
Anna Sequoia states that one test that is currently being used is called the Draize Acute Eye Irritancy Test. This test is done primarily on albino rabbits, because the albino rabbit is docile and cheap, and because its eyes do not produce te...
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...Luan Adams stated that she would not buy from any company that tested its products on animals. She is not alone. There are many people in the world that have made the same decision; I am one of them. Companies will have to start realizing that animal testing is not the way to gain credibility. As it is said in the October 1995 edition of PETA, "the question is not can animals reason?, nor can they talk?, but can they suffer?" (15).
Works Cited
Adams, Luan. Personal interview. 15 Apr. 1997.
"Animal Testing is Animal Cruelty." PETA: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Mar. 1995: 9-12.
Fox, Dr. Michael W. Inhumane Society: The American Way of Exploiting Animals. New York: St. Martin's, 1990.
PETA: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Oct. 1995:15.
Sequoia, Anna. 67 Ways to Save the Animals. New York: Harper Collins, 1990.
Our member meeting will continue to be held every other Saturday, will you have a problem attending meetings? No
Kanter, James. "E.U. Bans Cosmetics With Animal-Tested Ingredients." New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Mar. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
"A Global History of Censorship." Guarding Public Morality: A Global History of Censorship. N p.g., 20 Mar. 2010. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
McNamee, Gregory. "Absolutely True Tales Of Censorship." Kirkus Reviews 79.17 (2011): 1508. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Blair, L. (1996). Strategies for Dealing with Censorship. Art Education, 49(5, Essential Questions), pp. 57-61.
Mintcheva, Svetlana. "Land of the free?." Index on censorship 42.2 (2013):70-73. Web. 11 November 2013.
Thesis: Although some people believe that censorship is adequate to select what things does the society will be good and can live around it while others believe that there should be no censorship because it takes away your right of expression of freedom.
Animal testing has long played a part in the science of testing, and it still plays a very important role in the medical world. Testing on animals in order to create a cure for AIDS is one thing, but testing on animals for human vanity is another. Animal testing is used to test the safety of a product. It has kept some very unsafe substances out of the cosmetic world. However, in this day in age, animal testing is not the only way to test the safety of a product. Animal testing in cosmetics has decreased over the years. However, it is still used by many companies in America. Animal testing is not only cruel, but it is also unnecessary in today’s advanced scientific world.
Sadly according to the Humane Society International (HSI) article About Animal Testing “in the United states alone around 26 million animals are tested each year for medical and commercial research” (HSI) even though animal testing is not required to ensure that the cosmetic being sold are safe. From those 26 million animals being tested most are not protected by the federal Animal Welfare Act. The animal welfare act does not include birds, rats and mice bred for research, and it doesn’t include cold-blooded animals. Animals testing should be banned because the animals tested suffer immensely, also animal tested is unethical, and because there are many alternatives.
Throughout history, beginning as early as 500 BC, animals have been used to test products that will later be utilized by humans (“Animal Testing” 4), what isn’t publicly discussed is the way it will leave the animals after the process is done. Many innocent rabbits, monkeys, mice, and even popular pets such as dogs are harmed during the testing application of cosmetics, medicine, perfumes, and many other consumer products (Donaldson 2). Nevertheless, there are many people whom support the scandal because "it is a legal requirement to carry out animal testing to ensure they are safe and effective” for human benefit (Drayson). The overall question here is should it even be an authorized form of experimentation in the United States, or anywhere else? The fact of the matter is that there are alternatives to remove animals out of the equation for good (“Alternatives” 1). They are cheaper, and less invasive than the maltreatment of the 26 million innocent animals that are subjected to the heartlessness of testing each year (“Animal Testing” 4). All in all, due to the harsh effects of animal testing, it should be treated as animal cruelty in today’s society.
From when you are a baby to when you are an adult animal testing is used in your everyday products. From the Pampers you put on as a baby and the Johnson and Johnson you are washed with. To when you are older the Febreeze, Sunsilk, and Gillette you use.( Companies That do Test on Animals) Animal testing surrounds you in every act of life. “The guess is around 100 million animals are used worldwide in animal testing.” (Animal Rights) Animal testing is rooted from natural curiosity. How the insides of a living organism operate and look is an interesting idea. Because of the fact that dissection of humans was illegal by the Roman Church, animals were the second best option for knowledge of living organisms. (Animal Testing) The debate surrounding the idea of animal testing is a very heated one. There are many alternating opinions to why it is just or not.
Witherbee, Amy and Cushman, C. Ames. "Counterpoint: Sometimes Censorship is Necessary." 2011. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 21 March 2012.
Each year, thousands of animals are brutally tortured in laboratories, in the name of cosmetic research. A movement to ban animal testing for cosmetic purposes has been gaining popularity, with many companies hopping on the bandwagon against this research. New alternatives have been developed to eliminate the necessity to test on animals. This is only a small beginning of what is necessary to end these immoral acts. Animal testing in cosmetics is useless and cruel, and can be accomplished by other methods of research to end the suffering of animals.
...products on animals. The conflict is that even though the public is strongly against testing on animals, manufacturers are required by trade standards and consumer protection laws to show that their merchandise is not toxic and dangerous to public health, especially when it is in large quantities for shipping (“Testing Cosmetics on Animals” pars. 3).
It still comes as a surprise to me that with all the technology in today’s society, we are still relying on animals for cosmetic research. Some people think that it is acceptable and even justified to test on mere animals rather than risk hurting people. So, for these kinds of people, animal testing makes perfect sense. However, in my opinion, animals are living creatures and have the right to live out their lives as nature intended rather than simply surviving in cages while being poked and prodded with whatever scientists fancy. I think it is depressing and sort of grotesque that I am using products that have been tested on animals that are even commonly bred as our pets. So, I began my research to find out what companies still test on animals, why they do so, and what other alternatives they could use in place of animal testing.