Ethical Issues In Animal Testing

Animal Testing

Introduction

Animal testing is an intense contentious matter that has created a division among people; there are those who support and those who are against it. Animal testing, also identified as animal experimentation is when non-human animals are used in conducting experiments, especially in medicine. There are a number of unending debates on whether animal testing should continue or not, as some groups squabble that, it is an unethical process while others argue that it is ethical since it has large benefits on the health of humans. In addition, there is another group that advocates for the use of alternatives, instead of live animals. Although animal testing is considered as an inhumane and an unethical practice, it is crucial

First of all, animal testing cases pain and suffering to the live animals used in experiments. Before the testing, the animas are locked up in cages as they languish in pain since they are not allowed to move freely for they are stuck together. In addition, as they wait for the terrifying and painful process to be performed on them, they are forced to inhale lethal fumes as holes are drilled in their skulls. It should be noted that, animals have sentient as human beings, and for this reason, they should be treated as so because they experience pain too (MacClellan6). Moreover, hey are living things, meaning they eat, drink, and breathe, and therefore, they deserve to be treated as living things instead of putting them into so much pain in the name of medical research. If human beings deem it wrong to inflict pain on their fellow human beings unreasonably, why should the same be applied to animals, given that they are sentient just like human beings and all living animals deserve to be treated

It should be noted that, animals are metabolically, physiologically, and anatomically unlike from human beings, hence, the tests working on animals can surely prove to be unsuccessful in human beings (Animal Experimentation). Animals react very differently compared to human beings, and therefore, tests done on animals can be hazardous when done on human beings. In addition, even though humans and animals share a number of biological traits, they have biological differences and this is enough reason to question the data obtained from animal experiments and is to be used on humans. It is very wrong to subject animals to cruel procedures in the name of promoting the future human health and this denies them a normal life, yet they are at liberty to yet there is no prove that these tests can work well on human beings. For example, guinea pigs are used in animal experimentation, yet a guinea pig and a human being react very differently to some drugs, for instance penicillin is toxic to a guinea pig, and a cure to human beings. This proves that, any test done on a guinea pig will automatically be unsafe for human beings. Another example is that, drugs that are effective on dogs, or other animals can fail to be effective on human beings. Therefore, it is important to note that, animal testing has its