Medical Research with Animals Saves Lives

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What would the world be like if there was no vaccine for polio? If there was no discovery of insulin? Thanks to animal research we don’t have to live without vaccines or insulin. Animal research is a topic debated everyday around the world. Some argue it is cruel to put animals through experiments that animals have no voice in what is being done to them. Others argue that animal testing is good because it collects a lot of information and helps with surgical techniques. I believe that without animal testing we would never know what we know now. Animal testing for medical research is necessary if there are no other alternatives because it allows for advances in medicine, provides treatments for people with diseases, it eliminates human suffering, and it also has helped treat diseases in animals. (Animal Research 2013) Why do we have to use animals for research? Many humans and animals get the same illnesses because animals are biologically similar to humans. Animals have a shorter life cycle than humans and as a result, they can be studied throughout their whole life span or across several generations. According to information from the Office of Technology Assessment, it is estimated that between 17 and 23 million animals are used in research each year. Approximately 95% of these animals are rats and mice specifically bred for research and 4.25% of these animals include rabbits, guinea pigs, sheep, fish, frogs, insects, and other species. Most importantly, only 0.75% of the animals in research are cats, dogs, and primates. Major medical advances have been made because of the research of these animals. (Animal Research 2013) The spread of aids threatens our population daily. Lives lost to it number over 12 million, including 2 mil... ... middle of paper ... ... Opposes Animal Research. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from http://physicianscam.com/articles/research.cfm US Statistics. (n.d.). Speaking of Research. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from http://speakingofresearch.com/facts/statistics/ What Is Polio? What Causes Polio?. (n.d.). Medical News Today. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/ What is Cardiovascular Disease (Heart Disease)?. (n.d.). What is Cardiovascular Disease (Heart Disease)?. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Caregiver/Resources/WhatisCardiovascularDisease/What-is-Cardiovascular-Disease_UCM_301852_Article.jsp What is IACUC - Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee - OU Norman Campus. (n.d.). What is IACUC - Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee - OU Norman Campus. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from http://iacuc.ou.edu/whatisiacuc.asp

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