Why Animal Testing Isn't Always Representative of What Will Happen in Humans

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An approximated 26 million animals are utilized every year in the United States for science and commercial testing (CBRA). Currently, there is only one law that protects and regulates animal testing, The Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The AWA was passed in 1966; it has been amended seven times, and is enforced by the USDA, APHIS, and Animal Care agency. The AWA defines "animal" as "any live or dead dog, cat, monkey, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, or such other warm blooded animal." The AWA excludes birds, rats and mice for research, cold-blooded animals, and farm animals used for food and other purposes (Animals). 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... ... middle of paper ... ...n, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014 "Costs of Animal and Non-Animal Testing." Fact Sheet. Humane Society International, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014 “Introduction." Use of Laboratory Animals in Biomedical and Behavioral Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 1988 "More Than $16 Billion in Taxpayer Money Wasted Annually on Animal Testing."PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014 Perkel, Jeffrey M. "Animal-Free Toxicology: Sometimes, in Vitro Is Better." Life Science Technologies. American Association for the Advancement of Science, 02 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2014 "The Tragedy of Thalidomide and the Failure of Animal Testing." AFC. Animal Friends Croatia, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014 Watts, Geoff. "Alternatives to Animal Experimentation." Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Center for Biotechnology Information, 27 Jan. 2007. Web. 27 Feb. 2014

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