The Morality of Animal Testing

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Since the beginning of time animals have been sacrificed for the benefit of mankind from on a traditional altar form to the lab table. The morality of animal testing is being increasingly questioned, becoming a hot topic in the media. Where does it say that because humans can express degrees of pain it is okay to test on animals instead? Both humans and animals are not only genetically similar but structurally as well, but animals also react differently to disease. Animals are tested on because humans have a superior feeling towards them because they are able to communicate and appear differently. Animals are unable to express pain in the same manner as humans and therefore are seen as unequal. The morality of animal testing comes down to whether it is right to make an animal feel pain and placed to the verge of death for the benefit another species. Animals are tested for not only for medical but also cosmetic purposes. The amount of animals sacrificed to achieve one promising test result varies from the type of test being performed as well as the consequences.
Animals have been chosen to be experimented on because of their similarity to humans. The nerves, immune, and circulatory systems are all extremely similar to that of humans. Elizabeth Cooney, a researcher in this field stated, “The majority of gene expression patterns—conservatively estimated at 80 percent—were the same in mouse and human” supporting a common consensus among the scientific community (Cooney). For years scientists have claimed that testing on animal is the best form of achieving results to cure diseases such as cancer. But does that really have any truth to it? The most common test subjects are mice. The similarity to humans and animals can only go ...

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"Alternatives to Animal Testing." PETA. PETA. 2013. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. .
"Animals Used in Research." AAVS. The American Anti-Vivisection Society. 2013. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. .
Cooney, Elizabeth. "Comparing Mouse and Human Immune Systems." Harvard Medical School. The President and Fellows of Harvard College. 1 Apr. 2013. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. .
Hepworth, Adam. "Animal Research: The Ethics of Aniaml Experimentation." HOPES. Stephanie Liou. 6 Jul. 2010. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. .
JB. "Animal Testing: Why it is morally offensive." Animal Liberation Front. Ann Berlin. 13 Nov. 2006. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. .
PETA. “At the Stake”. PETA. PETA. 2013. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. .
Singer, Peter. Animal Liberation. Princeton: HarperCollins, 1975. Print.

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