Case Study: The Benefits of Animal Testing

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Nine year old Amy has already had a rough start in life. She was born with an abnormal heart that hinders her everyday activities. Amy is unable to keep up with kids her own age because she often tires out easily. As a consequence, she has very little friends and is often alone. Amy is forced to take different medications everyday just to survive. Amy’s life consists of medicine, doctors, and constant hospital visits. However, Amy is due for a heart transplant that will save her life. The transplant goes extremely well and now Amy has the opportunity to go to high school and live a normal teenage life. Like Amy, many lives are positively transformed due to the amazing surgery of organ transplants. Scientist and doctors are due the credit for this amazing procedure. However, often overlooked, is the fact that this fascinating medical procedure would not be possible without the use of animal experimentation. Animal testing allows doctors to save countless lives. Without it, Amy along with countless others would die. Animal testing is a largely debated and controversial issue. It was first introduced in the United States in the 1920s (Goldberg 85). Since then, there have been many advances in the field of medicine and science. These advances are due largely to the fact that animals are used in experiments and research. Animal testing has given doctors some of their most successful accomplishments. Also, they help researchers discover how to improve long known theories about the human mind and body. Over 40 Nobel Prizes have been given to researchers “whose achievements depended, at least in part, on using laboratory animals” (Trull 64). These animal experiments have helped humans live a better life. Animal testing benefits doctors... ... middle of paper ... ...nimal testing. Ultimately, without animal testing our lives will be drastically different. So, is animal testing necessary? Absolutely. Works Cited Alan Goldberg. “Alternatives to Animals in Toxicity Testing.” Ed. Jeanne Williams. Scientific American Inc: 1989. Print. “Animal Welfare Act as of February 1, 2010.” Animal Welfare Information Center. United States Department of Agriculture. 8 Nov. 2011. PDF. 19 Nov. 2011. “Fast Facts on Diabetes.” National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. National Institute of Health. Feb. 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. “FastStats.” Center for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics. 6 Sept. 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. Frankie Trull. “Animals in Research is Critical to Continued Progress in Human Health.” Ed. Jeanne Williams. The Society for Advancement of Education: 1989. Print.

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