Animal Testing Persuasive Essay

Animal research is a very hot topic for many people. There are two sides to this argument, with both having strong opinions. One side is strongly against researching and testing done on animals, and the other side is strongly for testing and experimentation on animals.

The side that is considered “pro” animal testing has many statistics to back up their argument. Such as the fact that 95% of animal testing is done on mice and rats. The majority of which are bred specifically for lab testing. Many people say there is no adequate replacement for testing on a living, whole body system, and that animals are very similar to humans, so they are the best choice for testing things to make sure that humans do not get hurt. Before testing on animals,

the scientists conducting the experiment make sure it is absolutely necessary to use the animals for testing. For over 50 years, the people conducting the experiments use the “3R’s” system of making sure it is necessary to test on the animals. The three R’s are: refinement, reduction, and replacement. Refinement means they go through the tests and refine the ones that could cause major harm or distress to the animal. Reduction means they are try to reduce the number of animals used in each study. Replacement means they try to change animal experiments into non-animal experiments. Animal-based research has also contributed to furthering the paths to cure many diseases, such as: cancer, HIV/AIDS, heart disease/stroke, diabetes, Parkinson’s, birth defects, hepatitis C, epilepsy, and cystic fibrosis.

The side that is considered “con” or “non” animal testing are mainly emotional based arguments.

The saying that animal research is cruel and inhumane is common on this side of the argument. This is backed up by experiments that were conducted that consisted of the animals being force fed, food and water deprivation, physical restraint, burns and other wounds, pain, and killing them using many different methods. They also use the argument that animals are way different from humans, and therefore do not accurately represent what can happen to humans if they use the products that were tested. The sleeping pill called thalidomide, created in the 1950s was tested on animals prior to being released to the public. This pill caused severe deformations in over 10,000 human babies. Out of all the animals being tested on, 95% are not covered or protected by the Animal Welfare Act. The AWA is a law that controls the treatment of animals in research. This act does not cover rats, birds, fish, and mice. These animals also happen to be the most commonly used in animal-based research. This act effectively protected 1,134,693 animals in 2010, which left around 25 million animals who are not covered by the AWA vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment during animal

testing.

My opinion on animal-based research is that animal testing should be continued for the testing of finding cures for diseases, and with that being said, there should be better regulations that come with the testing of animals. I also think that the AWA should cover the other 95% of animals that are regularly used in animal testing. Animal testing for cosmetics is unnecessary, and should not be allowed. There should be some kind of middle ground on the topic of animal-based testing. This ground should protect all the animals that are used for testing and not allow unnecessary testing.