Animal Testing Is Inhumane And Ineffective

If animals have feelings, Then is animal testing wrong.

The relationship between humans and animals has been a controversial and heated debate for decades. Many people have joined animal rights movements to advocate for the fair treatment of animals. Animals have no syntax and so there is no way to accurately communicate with them. Because of that there is currently no proof if animals can feel the same level of emotions as humans. Peter Singer is a supporter of animal rights. In his essay “Animal Liberation” he talks about what animals can feel. Singer, like many others, believe that animals can feel deeper levels of emotions like humans. Peggy Carlson wants to put an end to animal testing, her and many others believe that animal testing is inhumane and ineffective. If animals can suffer as much as humans than animal testing seems like a horrific practice. I mostly agree with Singer and Carlson on this topic. I think that different animals have different levels of emotional complexity, some animals simply experience primal instincts and others feel emotions closer to or at a human level. With that taken into consideration I think that animal testing is justified, but some of it is unnecessary and cruel.

Examining animal behaviors and the scientific research done on the topic it is evident that many animals can experience the same level of emotions as humans. In Radiolab’s “Animal Minds” episode a scientist studying spindle cells was interviewed. Spindle cells are a type of cell in the brain that is linked to deeper levels of emotions in humans. There was a discovery that many animals also had this type of cell in their brains, indicating the possibility that they experience the same level of emotions as humans. To me this seems ...

... middle of paper ...

...scientists did experiments on the inmates of concentration camps. They made breakthroughs in hypothermia treatment, at the expense of hundreds of unwilling humans being frozen. Many suffered through multiple experiments, and many died. The hypothermia testing could be considered humane compared to the other experiments they ran on masses of prisoners. When the suffering caused is taken into account some scientists outright refuse to even acknowledge what the Nazi scientists learned. The testing done on the concentration camp inmates is considered to be one of the most atrocious events in history. If it was proven that animals can experience suffering on the same level of humans then testing would have to stop. But that would cause scientific advancements in various fields to come to a stop. Temporarily of course, there is always a solution. We just need to find one.