Pros And Cons Of Animal Testing

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The Controversy of Animal Testing How often have you heard the advice, “Be kind to animals”? The answer is probably quite often, but unfortunately many people do not actually understand what this means. They pick and choose which animals they are going to treat humanely. For example, the subject of animal testing by humans has received much attention over the years and the issue has often been debated. To clarify, animal testing is otherwise known as vivisection. The term is derived from the Latin word virus, which means alive, and is defined as the practice of cutting into or using invasive techniques on live animals (Animal Rights Concerns, 2009). The whole thing seems very cruel and in this paper I will argue that the use of animals by humans for testing purposes and research is morally and ethically wrong. (1) Killing animals for the sole purpose of testing by humans is an unnatural act. Since man’s basic instinct is to protect himself and all others from harm, purposely killing or hurting any living being is morally wrong whether it is a human or any other creature. An animal, no matter how small or unimportant, is a living being and should be treated with respect, and no one has the right to decide whether an animal should live or die. Therefore, it is an inhumane act to mistreat animals in any way, and man should not be able to decide whether an animal should be used for scientific benefits or not. (2) Animals feel fear, pain, and stress while being tested but are unable to communicate these feelings in a spoken language. There is no doubt that if humans were used for testing, they would be told of the consequences and have the right to refuse. But an animal is not able to say yes or no and has no choice about th... ... middle of paper ... ...ractical to use humans than animals for testing. Other research can be more reliable than animal testing. My third objection is that many drug treatments have been the result of animal testing. In the past that was true, but today it has been proven that many of these test were defective and were inconclusive, so treatment was delayed as a result. In this paper, I have argued that: (1) Killing animals for the sole purpose of testing by humans is an unnatural act. (2) Animals feel fear, pain, and stress while being tested but are unable to communicate these feelings in a spoken language. (3) Animals have rights and humans must protect them from mistreatment and abuse. (4) With advancements in modern science, it is unnecessary to use live animals for experimentation. Therefore, the use of animals for testing purposes and research is morally and ethically wrong.

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