Animal Testing
By: Hannah Selke
Doesn't the feeling of animals being tortured make you uneasy or uncomfortable? How would you feel if your pet or any animal was harmed in order to test a product? Every person has used at least one item that has been tested on animals. Products are usually tested on animals before being used by humans. Animals should not be tested on, because it results in the animals being tormented and killed. Animal testing is cruel and inhumane. Instead, scientists can use test methods based on human cells and tissues. This way the animals will not be harmed.
According to The Humane Society of the United States, “Millions of animals are used in experiments each year…” (The Humane Society of the United States). Some of the products that are being tested are not useful nor are a necessity. Many animals are being taken for experiments and then being killed because of our unnecessary needs. A website stated that "Animals in labs live stressful, monotonous, and unnatural lives of daily confinement and deprivation" (Neavs.org). Animals should be able to either live freely in the wild or comfortable with their owners. Animals should not have to be covered in makeup or injected with medicine just for our sake, preferably we could use alternatives that would make everyone happy.
Animal testing can be very expensive. It wastes a lot of government dollars for the experiments and research. Plenty other alternatives including stem cell and genetic testing methods, and computer models and stimulations cost way less and no one would get hurt.
Animals should also not be tested on because according to Newsela and many other websites, animals are very different from humans, which result in useless experiments. Plus, most animals being tested are not protected by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). These animals are suffering and being unprotected from mistreatment and abuse, without the AWA.
Animals have been used throughout history for research purposes. Isn't it time that we put an end to this? There is a movement called the 3Rs campaign which advocates 3 alternatives- replacing, reducing, and refining the use of animals in testing. If more companies try to use this, there will be less harm given to animals and research costs will be reduced. Thus, any testing needed can still be done, but in a moral and humane way.
Doesn't the feeling of animals being tortured make you uneasy or uncomfortable? How would you feel if your pet or any animal was harmed in order to test a product? Every person has used at least one item that has been tested on animals. Products are usually tested on animals before being used by humans. Animals should not be tested on, because it results in the animals being tormented and killed. Animal testing is cruel and inhumane. Instead, scientists can use test methods based on human cells and tissues. This way the animals will not be harmed.
According to The Humane Society of the United States, “Millions of animals are used in experiments each year…” (The Humane Society of the United States). Some of the products that are being tested are not useful nor are a necessity. Many animals are being taken for experiments and then being killed because of our unnecessary needs. A website stated that "Animals in labs live stressful, monotonous, and unnatural lives of daily confinement and deprivation" (Neavs.org). Animals should be able to either live freely in the wild or comfortable with their owners. Animals should not have to be covered in makeup or injected with medicine just for our sake, preferably we could use alternatives that would make everyone happy.
Animal testing can be very expensive. It wastes a lot of government dollars for the experiments and research. Plenty other alternatives including stem cell and genetic testing methods, and computer models and stimulations cost way less and no one would get hurt.
Animals should also not be tested on because according to Newsela and many other websites, animals are very different from humans, which result in useless experiments. Plus, most animals being tested are not protected by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). These animals are suffering and being unprotected from mistreatment and abuse, without the AWA.
Animals have been used throughout history for research purposes. Isn't it time that we put an end to this? There is a movement called the 3Rs campaign which advocates 3 alternatives- replacing, reducing, and refining the use of animals in testing. If more companies try to use this, there will be less harm given to animals and research costs will be reduced. Thus, any testing needed can still be done, but in a moral and humane way.
Animal Testing, Is it right?
By: Paige Brent
There are many opposing viewpoints on whether animal testing should be allowed in the United States. Some believe that this is an inhumane act by humans and there are extreme changes that need to be made. Others support the idea in hopes that it will help cure diseases in the future. Our society simply must figure out the best way to solve this problem and help advance life and cure diseases in the future.
Over the past several decades, scientists have been using animals such as mice, rats, birds, rabbits and amphibians to test new products, medicines and more before giving it to humans. In doing this, over 100 million animals are burned, crippled, poisoned, and abused in US labs. According to the Human Society “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 and the infliction of pain to study its effects and remedies.” In addition to this, 92% of experimental drugs that are safe and effective in animals, fail in human clinical trials making this process completely useless, maybe even causing more problems. For example, Vioxx, a drug used to treat arthritis was found to be safe when tested on a group of animals. But, it has been estimated to have caused around 320,000 heart attacks and strokes and 140,000 deaths worldwide, proving that this may not always be the best choice. In addition, according to the Humane Society, registration of a single pesticide requires more than 50 experiments, using as many as 12,000 animals at one time.
However, some people argue that animal research has played a major part in almost every medical breakthrough over the past decade. Thanks to these animals, primarily mice, the cancer survival rates have increased dramatically in the past few years. Herceptin, a humanized mice protein was found and used to help those with breast cancer. This special protein could not have been obtained without animal research on mice. In addition to this, animal research has helped develop modern medicines helping cure diseases including Polio, TB, Meningitis and, recently, the human papillomavirus (HPV) which has been linked to cervical cancer. According to Dr. Robert Palazzo, President of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, “Americans are living longer, healthier lives and we owe much of that success to biomedical research,”. People may also argue that animals are the best alternative to use for testing because their DNA is so similar to humans. In fact, Chimpanzees share 99% of their DNA with humans, and mice are 98% genetically similar to humans. This also means that we share the same organs as animals including the heart, kidneys, lungs, etc., making the animals susceptible to many of the same conditions and illnesses as humans.
This topic has appeared to be a continuous issue throughout the US. A compromise that could support both sides of the issue would be continuing to test the animals, but treating the animals with respects and dignity. One way we could do this is by following the laws of The Animal Welfare Act, and making sure all of the animals have the proper care they should. If we do this, the animals will be able to live happier lives, as well as humans who can use the information to help future generations live longer.
Animal Testing
By: Maeve Gaynor
Picture yourself in a lab with other scientists. Sitting in front of you is an innocent, little rabbit waited to be tested on with all different products for the benefit of humans. Is pushing animals beyond their physical abilities to test a product fair, or is this just considered pure cruelty? This has been an ongoing debate among scientists and the National Humane Society. Animal Testing is evaluating beauty, hygiene and other types of products on animals that are completely healthy. Think about the fact that we are animals too, so would you like to have five people in your face force-feeding you something that might kill you? Small animals such as rabbits, hamsters, and guinea pigs are targeted for cosmetic and skin testing because of their shy and gentle behavior. This is no excuse to experiment with products that have a 50% percent chance of killing animals.
Picture yourself in a lab with other scientists. Sitting in front of you is an innocent, little rabbit waited to be tested on with all different products for the benefit of humans. Is pushing animals beyond their physical abilities to test a product fair, or is this just considered pure cruelty? This has been an ongoing debate among scientists and the National Humane Society. Animal Testing is evaluating beauty, hygiene and various types of products on animals that are completely healthy. Think about the fact that we are animals too, so would you like to have five people in your face force-feeding you something that might kill you? Small animals such as rabbits, hamsters, and guinea pigs are targeted for cosmetic and skin testing because of their shy and gentle behavior. This is no excuse to experiment with products that have a 50% percent chance of killing animals.
In August 2013, A poor dog named Echo was minding his own business when he was stolen from his back yard in Arkansas by a class B dealer. The dog was then sold to labs for experimental purposes, and shortly after died from a failed product testing. Situations like this are happening every day and are not being stopped. Testing products on animals may benefit humans at times, but torturing our animals just to see if a shampoo is safe surely is not worth it.
Products such as pet food, contact lenses, and kitchen and bathroom cleaners are tested on animals just to determine if they are toxic or are safe to eat. According to "People for the ethical treatment of animals" or PETA, over 200 animals are killed or die from products that fail to provide safety every minute. Animals in fact do not make great test subjects because they have different qualities than humans which could have different outcomes. Most experiments are flawed which costs the lives of several creatures.
Risking the lives of some of our closest four-legged friends is not the only option. According to ProCon.org, "testing, such as studying cell cultures in a petri dish, can produce more relevant results than animal testing because human cells can be used." There are far more cells in this world than animals therefore taking the lives of blameless creatures would be unethical. Animals do in fact become sad, lonely, and depressed so assuming animals do not suffer is a false stereotype. Discriminating against animals because they do not have the intellectual ability, language, or moral judgment that humans do is no more reasonable than discriminating against human beings with severe mental impairments.
So has your decision been made? Is Animal Testing really necessary? Stealing the lives of our pets and wildlife is not fair for any reason or for medical benefits. Help take a stand in the protest and save the life of the bunny that is sitting on the lab table in front of you.