Every year, over a million animals are tested on across the world. Animal experimentation is one of the most controversial issues. Animal testing is the use of non-human animals in research and development projects, especially for purposes of determining the safety of substances such as foods or drugs. Some people believe that animal testing is unnecessary and there are more efficient alternatives. Others believe that animal testing is crucial to the development of new products and cures. According to the Science of Toxicology, “Research involving laboratory animals is necessary to ensure and enhance human and animal health and protection of the environment”(1). Animal testing should be stopped because animals do not react the same way as humans do; Alternatives to animal testing are often more accurate, and animal tests can be cruel and often unnecessary There is no animal on earth that can simulate a human being. Different DNA separates all living species on earth. Human and chimpanzee DNA is different in many ways. DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, is the molecule that carries genetic information in all living systems (DNA 1). According to DeWitt, one major difference is that Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes while chimpanzees have 24. At the end of each chromosome is a string of repeating DNA sequences, called a telomere. Chimpanzees and other apes have about 23 kilobases while humans have only 10. While 18 pairs of chromosomes are virtually identical, chromosomes 4, 9 and 12 show evidence of being remodeled. In other words, the genes and markers on these chromosomes are not in the same order in the human and chimpanzee. The “Y” chromosome in particular is also a different size and has many markers that do not line up between th... ... middle of paper ... ...here is no firm evidence that animal testing has saved anyone’s life directly, particularly in the case of HIV. “Most drugs could probably have been developed without the use of animals” (HIV drugs, vaccines and animal testing 1). As can be seen from all of the evidence, animal testing is wrong. Why test on millions of animals every year if there is no need? There is no need to test on animals because they cannot simulate a human. Why not use alternatives if they are more accurate? Testing any product on animals is like guessing the outcome of two flipped coins in a row. The product it either going to fail or work on the animal. And based on that, it still cannot be determined whether or not it will work on humans. Animals are suffering everyday on earth. There is no ethical reason to put any living animal through pain, especially when animal testing is worthless.
Testing animals is used to develop medical treatments, determine the toxicity of medicinal drugs, check the safety of products intended for human use, and other biomedical, commercial, and healthcare roles. The earliest recordings of animal studies date back to Aristotle, who discovered the anatomical differences among animals by analyzing them (Introduction). Advocates of animal testing say that it has enabled the growth of numerous medical advancements, tests to see if new products are save for mankind, acquisition of new scientific knowledge, and because it is accurate (B). Opponents of animal testing say that it is cruel and inhumane to try out on animals, many animals die from the animal testing, it’s unethical, animals don’t have a say in it, the accuracy is in question because they are testing animals and not humans, and the toll of animal testing is high (B). Through the pros and cons of everything, it is bad to test animals because animals are very different from human beings and thus make poor test subjects and are unreliable, the cost and upkeep of it is expensive, and because there are alternatives to animal testi...
Animals should not be used as test subjects for any research. The innocent and helpless animals’ rights are being violated when they are involved during animal experimentation. These unfortunate animals do not have a choice whether or not they want to be involved in testing. They are not intended for people to experiment on for their own selfish reasons. It is not right to take advantage of the animals because they are helpless and cannot protect themselves. Animals and humans have similarities; they both behave, feel, think, and experience pain. Therefore, animals should be treated with the same respect as humans. The pain and suffering an animal is forced to endure is not worth any new product. It is cruel and inhumane to take advantage of an innocent animal. These tests that use animals to ensure the safety of products are extremely common without people even knowing about it. It is not fair to these animals to abuse their beauty. They are helpless and cannot control what is happening to them. Animal experimentation should be stopped because it violates the rights of animals and harms or even kills the animals.
...Because people see animal testing procedures as unethical and immoral, it’s important for them to consider what their health would be like without the process—potentially afflicted with incurable illnesses. Continuing the animal experimenting process can only prove beneficial in promoting fewer ailments and cures to existing and future diseases.
For centuries scientists have used animals to study the causes of diseases; to test drugs, vaccines and surgical techniques; and to evaluate the safety of chemicals used in pesticides, cosmetics and other products. However, many scientists amongst animal- right activists forbid the use of animals in scientific research regardless how many illnesses are eliminated through the use of animals in scientific research. Amongst animal right activists, David Suzuki also raises concerns towards animal experimentation. In his article, The Pain of Animals, Suzuki argues that humans have no right to exploit animals because--much like humans--animals also experience pain. In contrast to Suzuki, Haldane, in his article, Some Enemies of Science, argues because animals are very similar to humans, scientists have no choice but to use animals in scientific experiments. Both authors greatly contrast their opinions towards animal experimentation; however Haldane has a more explanatory approach towards animal experimentation. He argues animal experimentation should be acceptable because other forms of animal exploitation are acceptable in society. Secondly, unlike other forms of exploitation which seek pleasure in killing animals such as leisure sport, scientists, most likely do not harm animals; if pain is intended on an animal it is strictly for the purpose of scientific advancement. Thirdly, although, animal experimentation may cause some extinction, it is only one of many other causes of extinction, if other causes are not condemned; then neither should animal experiment...
Imagine if your pet was getting experimented on for a product you might buy in the future. Would anyone really want that product, your pet was in pain because of it? Animals are getting experimented on for products to get released to the public. Some companies are using vitro researching to test their products but not enough companies are using vitro as their form of testing products. Synthetic skin could reduce the amount of animals getting tested on everyday for companies to release new products to the public. Animals are getting experimented on everyday.
There are many pros and cons to the practice of animal testing. Unfortunately, neither side pleases everyone- including the general public, government and scientists. Animal testing is a process that has been going on for centuries for many different reasons; finding drugs and treatments to improve health and medication. Many medical treatments have been made possible by animal testing, including cancer, HIV drugs, insulin, antibiotics, vaccines and many more. Scientists usually use animals for testing purpose because they are considering similar to humans. Animals have their differences, and are also similarities. This is what comparative medicine is about: researches use both similarities and differences to gain insight into the many complex human biological systems.
People have different views to this question, but ultimately multiple tests and studies show that animal testing does not help improve human health. Scientists and researchers have predicted what percent of animal tests are accurate on humans and what percent of human tests are accurate on humans. They predicted that sixty-five percent of animal tests used on humans would be accurate and that seventy-five percent to eighty percent of human-cell line tests used on humans would be accurate ("Product Testing: Toxic and Tragic"). Thousands of people die from animal tested drugs because it is shown that ninety-two percent of animal tested drugs don't work. So, only eight percent do ("Fact! Testing Drugs on Animals Does Not Work to Help Humans"). If people actually looked at the data above, then it could in the end be a winning situation for both humans and animals ("Fact! Testing Drugs on Animals Does Not Work to Help
Every year thousands of animals are euthanized due to animal testing such as cosmetic testing, medical testing, and dissection. (A Critical Look at Animal Experimentation) (Types of Animal Testing) Some of the things we use every day such as; make up, soap, furniture polish, and varieties of cleaning supplies, are tested on rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, and other animals. (Animal Testing) Cosmetic testing is used to test a product and its ingredients, medical testing finds cures for different illnesses; and dissection is used to help high school students in science classes have a better understanding of the class or students undergoing the medical field in college. (Animal Experimentation) Animal testing is not required by law; it is only used to protect companies from consumer lawsuits, provided new research for diseases, and provide a visual learning experiment for students. (A Critical Look at Animal Experimentation) It has been proven that there are more reliable and less expensive alternatives to animal testing, such as; computer models and cell and tissue tests. Animal experimentation should be eliminated because it is an inhumane method for testing purposes.
For many years, animal testing has been the main solution to test household products, food, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. The term “animal testing” refers to the procedure performed on certain animals to determine if a certain product is safe. Most of these procedures done on the animal can cause a great amount of physical pain, and distress. Most animals die shortly after the experiment because so much pain was inflicted on their body. After the testing is done, the animals are left to suffer in cages. The different types of experiments performed on the animals are outrageous. There is even an alternative to animal testing, but scientist refuse to use it, and some people wonder if animals are even needed for medical research.
Dr. Jane Goodall, a primatologist and ethologist, believes that animal testing is "morally, and ethically unacceptable". In her article, "So Much Animal Pain, So Little Human Gain", she states that animal testing does not benefit for humans and how much the animal suffer in the experiment. Using animal in research can't always predict the results for humans. There are some cases that even though the experiment succeeded, it wasn't safe for humans. Around 92% of drugs that passed in the animal testing didn't work with humans (Top 5 Reason). The reason is that animals are different from humans. Even though animals can't talk or make judgments like humans, they have emotions, consciousness, and intelligence. The animals can feel stress, fear, and pain during the experiment. She claims that there are alternatives other than animals like using cells, computer models, and more. She also includes that animal testing cost a lot more than the alternatives. The biggest issue when it comes to animal testing is how animals are treated during the experiment. Although animals are protected from the Animal Welfare Act, not all animals that are used for research are not protected. With that, there are chances that they can be ...
Animals have been tested on for a lengthy amount of time, according to American Medical Association, AMA, on page 620 “Animals have been used in experiments for at least 2,000 years.” A large extent of knowledge has been gained from animal research but there is still a great deal of opposition to animal testing. However, the benefits of animal research greatly outweigh the penalties of animal research. Therefore, animal testing must be used if humans are to continue their search for knowledge. Without the sacrifice of a few animals many others would die, animals are used for many advantageous things, if not animals than what are scientists supposed perform experiments on, and there are several valid counterarguments for animal testing.
For years now people have been using animal experimentation to create new ways to help save the human race. There are people who believe that it does help, and that it is necessary to continue, while others oppose and want to fight for the elimination of animal experimentation. Scientists fight for the cures needed to help man kind, but struggle to do so as people fight against their work in progress. But as Jennifer A. Hurley stated, “History has already shown that animal experimentation is not essential to medical progress.” Stuart W.G. Derbyshire believes “The best hopes to treat or cure any number of diseases all rely in the current animal experiments.” Both sides have evidence that can allow both to be proven correct. But there are negative arguments that can prove the other wise. The real question to ask is, Does animal experimentation really help advance medical research?
In conclusion, animal testing is a subject that will continue to be argued about for years to come. There are two very distinct sides to the debate, it is either acceptable or it isn’t. Animal testing is a very beneficial process when used to discover cures in the medical field but should not be used just to simply test a new brand of cosmetics of household products. There have been several advancements made so far and more cures will be discovered as time goes on and more products are tested. The medical field has advanced so much due to the discoveries made from testing out new vaccines and medicines. They don’t have a cure for cancer today, but who knows, in ten years from now there might be a way to save loved one’s lives because of research and procedures that are being performed today.
It should be noted that, animals are metabolically, physiologically, and anatomically unlike from human beings, hence, the tests working on animals can surely prove to be unsuccessful in human beings (Animal Experimentation). Animals react very differently compared to human beings, and therefore, tests done on animals can be hazardous when done on human beings. In addition, even though humans and animals share a number of biological traits, they have biological differences and this is enough reason to question the data obtained from animal experiments and is to be used on humans. It is very wrong to subject animals to cruel procedures in the name of promoting the future human health and this denies them a normal life, yet they are at liberty to yet there is no prove that these tests can work well on human beings. For example, guinea pigs are used in animal experimentation, yet a guinea pig and a human being react very differently to some drugs, for instance penicillin is toxic to a guinea pig, and a cure to human beings. This proves that, any test done on a guinea pig will automatically be unsafe for human beings. Another example is that, drugs that are effective on dogs, or other animals can fail to be effective on human beings. Therefore, it is important to note that, animal testing has its
Hundreds of millions of animals die every year from animal testing in the United States. Innocent animals are used everyday in laboratories for biology advancements, medical training, curiosity-driven experimentation, and chemical, drug, food, and cosmetic testing. They are used to provide information to make better products that are safe for human use. Although animal experimentation has some benefits, the negatives outweigh the positives. Animal testing is killing off innocent beings for the possible human benefit, and with modern technology, there are alternative ways to test products that leave animals unharmed.