Arguments Against Animal Testing

Every year several million animals die due to animal testing in for medical, psychological, and products research. Moreover, animal testing is something that shouldn’t be continued and for it is completely wrong and cruel. Animal testing started in the late 300’s BC. Aristotle and Erasistratus performed many experiments that involved living animals. Similarly, Galen, a greek physician, conducted animals research to explore the field of anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology.

Animal testing is the inhumane act of using conscious, innocent animals to test products without care of what the aftermath may be. According to PETA, the largest animal rights organization in the world, more than 100 million animals are slaughtered in U.S. laboratories every year. Those who have the heart to inflict this type of brutality do this by immobilizing them in restraint devices for hours, in order to drill holes into their skulls and have their spinal cords crushed (PETA). Along with the physical atrocities that humans are forcing these vulnerable animals into, humans are also isolating them from their own kind, confining them in barren cages, and thus traumatizing them for the rest of their lives. Those who possess an ounce of compassion

"The term 'animal testing' refers to procedures performed on living animals for purposes of research into basic biology and disease. Asserting the effectiveness of new medicinal products, and testing the human health and/or environmental safety of consumer and industry products such as cosmetics, household cleaners, food additives, pharmaceuticals and industrial/Argo-chemicals (“About Animal Testing”)”. 3. Till this day, animal testing is considered justified because scientists believe any type of animal is obligated to sacrifice itself in order to make new products safer for human use and consumption (“Save the Animals”).

Researchers estimated over 26 million animals were used for scientific tests and commercial testing subject every year in the United States. Over the years animals were used to be tested on medical treatments, products for human uses, health care, and etc. The practice of researching on living animals has started since 500 BC. Opponents of this act say that it is cruel to experiment on animals, there are other methods available to replace the cruel act of experimenting on living animals, and that the human bodies and animal’s bodies are totally two different features and the research often yields irrelevant results. The federal Animal Welfare or AWA passed the animal testing act in 1966 and amended in 1970, 1976, and 1985.

Animal testing is defined as “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” (Dictionary.com). This experimentation has been practiced since around 500 BCE, and has allowed the human race to discover many things that otherwise would have not been discovered (ProCon). The use of animal testing has increased, due to its many necessary benefits, such as: helping form vaccinations and uncovering new diseases in the specific species being tested on (AALAS). However, many animal activist groups such as, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), have spoken out against the issue. These groups claim animal testing to be “inhumane”

Then again, medical examinations involving animal testing have greatly improved the health being of humans. Surgical methods and medications nowadays would not be discovered if it was not for the understanding of the diseases and how the body works. This can be approached by using animal testing. Animal experimentation has contributed to the abundance of medication we now have in the palm of our hands. For instance, we have treatments for asthma, high blood pressure, and diabetes which were all discovered using animal testing.

The Animal Welfare Act was set in place in 1966 to regulate the use and care of animals tested in labs. This act exempts rats, mice, birds and cold-blooded from these regulations and can be treated any means deemed necessary by the scientists. The Humane Society International has stated the "Animals used in experiments are commonly subjected to force feeding, forced inhalation, food and water deprivation, prolonged periods of physical restraint, the infliction of burns and other wounds to study the healing process, the infliction of pain to study its effects and remedies." (Humane Society International). The cosmetic

Animal Experimentation: Is it Beneficial? Animal testing, otherwise known as vivisection has been around prior to the 19th century, in fact, in 1973 there was already a total of over 1,500,000 animals being experimented on. Britain was the first to stand up against animal testing, stating that it was cruel in 1876 with the Cruelty to Animals Act. America on the opposing hand, launched an animal testing boom in the first quarter of the twentieth century when cosmetic animal testing began when totals reached over 1,300,000 animals tested. The animal testing controversy has been a big one, it is no way beneficial to society nor is it humane for animals.

Animal testing has been practiced around the 17th century at least and has been used for the majority of scientific testing around the globe. The oldest known experiment with animal testing was with William Harvey 's experiment by demonstrating blood circulation on multiple animal types. Animal testing continued to spread throughout Europe in the 19th century where anesthetics were developed which made the use of animals in testing possible. In 1876, the Cruelty to Animals Act passed. This set limits on animal

The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) of United States gives some protections to warm-blooded animals used in research laboratories, which only cover 5% of animals normally used for testing. Under AWA, all testing on animals which are covered must minimized the pain on animals and provide appropriate veterinary care. The AWA should make further improvements which cover as much animals as possible. In UK, the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 defined regulated procedures as animal experiments that could potentially cause "pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm”. It prevents animals from unnecessary suffering.

Imagine an enraged animal rights activist charging toward a scientist in a white lab coat, desperate to free the little mice that are being used as test subjects. Although comical, this scene may be quite accurate when describing the passion that animal lovers have when it comes to the touchy subject of animal testing. For centuries, animal testing has been used in the medical research field, however many are now beginning to question whether it is ethical. Millions of animals are killed per year due to animal testing, so is this practice worth banning? Animal testing is a controversial subject, with supporters pointing out the medical advances that have stemmed from animal research and animal rights activists declaring it cruel and immoral.

Using animals in research and to test the safety of products has been a topic of heated debate for decades. According to data collected by F. Barbara Orlans for her book, In the Name of Science: Issues in Responsible Animal Experimentation, sixty percent of all animals used in testing are used in biomedical research and product-safety testing (62). A large number of people believe that animals shouldn’t be used for our own selfish benefits and that they should attain similar rights as humans, where others believe that animals are here for our own use whether it be scientific research, food or entertainment. I’m an owner of a dog and I know just how special they are and the joy and companionship they bring. I believe animals are friends of

Animal testing has always been an immense controversy. As people, we all have different opinions and moral values, and this definitely effects how we see things. Of course this means that everyone has something dissimilar to say about the issue of testing on animals. However, who is to say whether it is truly right or wrong to use animals in the process of discovering in the medical field?

Last year the European Union banned using “animals to test the safety of cosmetic ingredients”(Mone). Relying on animal testing has delayed the evaluation of different chemicals because the “animal-based tests take too long and are too expensive”(Mone). They usually take up several years and millions of dollars. The validity of the results from testing on animal subjects can be compromised because we are very different. The cosmetic companies are waiting to hear how they are supposed to test their products without animal testing, and the researchers are attempting to finish some alternatives.

Animal testing is a phrase that most people have heard but are perhaps still unsure of exactly what it involve. Whether it is called animal testing, experimentation or research, it should be defined as all testing methods on animals including, medical exploration, cosmetics, toxicology trialing, and psychological examination involving animal subjects. It is used to assess the safety and effectiveness of medications and beauty products as well as understanding how the human physiology works. While supporters believe it is necessary practice, those against animal testing believe that it involves torture and suffering to animals. Medical research is the hardest case of proposition in the debate whether animal testing should be banned or not, since it has previously yielded substantial benefits for humanity.