Why We Should Use Animals For Testing
By:Alyssa
Animal testing has been a strategy for selling products and research for hundreds of years. The following reasons scientists use them for is safety, human biology, research purposes, cures, and to employ workers. Scientists often use animals with shorter lifespans while testing. People also use this method of testing because; there is no other option than to use different types of species of animals (other than humans).
Scientists use animals for testing to help them do research on human biology. They do this because humans are animals. Human beings are the most dominant species on Earth. We use animals in research in human biology because certain animals have similar organisms as humans do.
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Humans use this testing system so no illnesses occur.
In the 1950s Thalidomide was a product that came out. It was supposed to relieve pregnant women from morning sickness. Except, it backfired: babies died. Over 15,000 infants were born with defective limbs. Now products for the pregnant woman in the world is a regulation to be tested on a pregnant animal.
Animals with a shorter lifespan are popularly used. The lab rat is a commonly used animal while doing research. Other examples are mice, frogs, guinea pigs, hamsters, monkeys, fish, birds, cats, dogs, rabbits, and chimpanzees. To make animal testing more reasonable scientists use animals that live closer to 2 or 3 years. Rather, then using an animal that is rarer and lives longer. Scientists use animals that are more common for testing. This is because: if the animal dies the population of that animal will not suddenly
decrease. Human beings need animal testing so that they stay safe. If no tests are done errors and accidents would happen to us humans. Products would not be safe for the user. No one would buy any of the products if they knew that it was not safe. Scientists wouldn’t be able to commit tests on humans because they have rights. Animals, unlike humans, do not have any moral rights. There is no charter of rights and freedom specifically for animals other than humans. Non-Human animals are not able to have jobs other than service animals. That job is specifically for dogs of certain breeds. For service animals, people wouldn’t have cats or hamsters. Dogs are often used for this because they are more likely to trust humans. Beagles are the most used breed of dog for this reason. Animal testing is still a popular testing system. Some major cosmetic companies still use them such as Avon, Benefit, Clinique, Estée Lauder, Makeup Forever, Maybelline, OPI, Neutrogena, NYX, L’Oreal, Revlon, Rimmel London, Covergirl and Victoria Secrets. More companies are Chanel, GLAMGLOW, EOS, Smashbox, Nars Cosmetics, Mary Kay, Dove, Boscia, Origin, Bobbi Brown and Elizabeth Arden. These are all successful companies. This proves that companies can be successful even if they test on animals. This means that: the public knows of this, and they still purchase products from these companies. Humans use animals for testing because we need to use animals with similar organisms. Humans share 98% of genes with a mouse. A chimpanzee shares 99% of DNA with humans. These are some of the closest organisms to a human being. Scientists use animals that have similar features to humans. Testing on animals doesn’t always hurt the animal. They are taken care of by veterinarians. An example of how the animals are taken care of is; at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre animal research facility: they take the dogs out for 2 breaks a day to have exercise. They are allowed to play with other dogs and their owners. Scientists need to use animals for testing purposes to find cures for diseases. In the making for the cure of diabetes, animal testing was used. For cancer, they have used mice to find cures. Since this happened people’s survival rates have risen. Animal research has helped the development of asthma inhalers. Asthma kills over 2000 people in the UK. In 1899 animal testing was used for a cure in diabetes. Joseph von Mering and Oskar Minkowski took out the pancreas of a dog. The following quote explains why we need animals for cures. “Animal research is essential to tackle major 21st-century health problems such as heart disease. Without the use of animals, it would be impossible, in many cases, to develop drugs or any sort of medical treatment.” Professor Sir George Radda. We use animals because there is no other option. It is against the law to kill a human. So scientists, therefore, use non-human animals for testing. “ With the current scientific knowledge, not enough alternative methods are yet available to reduce the use of non-human primates.” European Commission. This means that animals need to be used for research and experiments as well as testing. If you kill an animal during the process there is no consequence for the human. If we used a human for the testing, and they die: the human who did would have punishments. They would receive charges, time in jail, time in court and end up with a lawsuit. Animal testing opens up jobs for humans. For example scientists, marine biologists, animal behaviourists, veterinarian technicians, technologists etc. Animal testing also overlaps into animal research. When we test on animals we learn more about them. During the testing, humans learn more about the animals features. Scientists learn what they can and cannot handle. If the animal will adapt or react to it.
Over 100 Million animals are burned, crippled, poisoned and abused in testing Labs every year. Animals are used to test the safety of products, advance scientific research, and develop models to study disease and to develop new medical treatments all for the sake of mankind. Animals should not be used for scientific research because animal testing is inhumane, other testing methods now exist, and animals are very different from human beings.
Animals are used as a part of experimentations in order to accomplish new openings. A few individuals think that it is satisfactory, while others contend that it is not moral to sacrifice animals for science. Estimated, that fifty to one hundred million of animals are used for tests in the world. Despite the significance of experiments, the quantity of animals and purpose of research are not under any control. Animals testing should be banned under a few circumstances; we can enhance the situation by using alternative ways such as replacement, reduction, and refinement according to International Society for Applied Ethology.
Why do we have to use animals for research? Many humans and animals get the same illnesses because animals are biologically similar to humans. Animals have a shorter life cycle than humans and as a result, they can be studied throughout their whole life span or across several generations. According to information from the Office of Technology Assessment, it is estimated that between 17 and 23 million animals are used in research each year. Approximately 95% of these animals are rats and mice specifically bred for research and 4.25% of these animals include rabbits, guinea pigs, sheep, fish, frogs, insects, and other species. Most importantly, only 0.75% of the animals in research are cats, dogs, and primates. Major medical advances have been made because of the research of these animals. (Animal Research 2013)
Medical sciences are required to keep us healthy when there are diseases spreading and animal testing is a key part of this research. Animal test is not wrong because it is the only way to keep ahead in the arms race against disease. Disease keep changing and evolving so scientist must keep researching and making stronger, more potent medicines to combat them. Thus we must use living creatures as test subject for the medicines.
Animal testing has been used for developing and researching cures for medical conditions. For example, the polio vaccine, chemotherapy for cancer, insulin treatment for diabetes, organ transplants and blood transfusions are just some of the important advances that have come from research on animals (“Animal Testing”). Consuming animals for research benefits in developing various treatments and also benefits in discovery better methods for cures. According to the article “Animal Testing”, it says that the underlying rationale for the use of animal testing is that living organisms provide interactive, dynamic systems that scientists can observe and manipulate in order to understand normal and pathological functioning as well as the effectiveness of medical interventions. It relies on the physiological and anatomical similarities between humans and other animals (MacClellan, Joel). Meaning that animals have the same body components and features as humans and is the best thing to research on to better understand the human development. Even though several argue that animal testing is harming the animals, one has to think back to all the benefits that has come from it. There may be a little remorse for endangering animal lives, but realizing how far medicine has come makes it worth the while.
Another reason the testing is used is because it develops solutions to medical problems. More than half the animals that have been tested on have succeeded in finding a cure for the human race.
Some examples of products that worked for animals that didn't work for humans are Rexar, Celebrex, Enbrel, Zafirlukast, and many other products (Greek). These products did not have a good outcome on humans. Rexar resulted in seven deaths and cardiovascular events. Celebrex resulted in ten deaths and eleven cases of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Enbrel resulted in infections and death and Zafirlukast resulted in some people getting Churg-Strauss Syndrome (Greek). Animals have to go through many tests and each test has a purpose. An example of one test is a test that is supposed to be used for the beginning stages of cancer. The animals that is used for this test is mice or rats. During this test, the mice or rats are force fed a substance for fourteen days in a row. After being fed the substance, samples of bone marrow are taken from the animals to look at genetic changes ("8 Reasons Why Animals Testing Doesn't Help Humans"). Another example of a test is a test that is supposed to be for birth defects. Rabbits or rats are used for this procedure. A pregnant rabbit or rat is force fed throughout her pregnancy. The female is then killed the day before she is expected to give birth. After this, the pups are examined for any possible abnormalities ("8 Reasons Why Animal Testing Doesn't Help Humans"). Chemicals are also used on animals ("Product Testing: Toxic and
Firstly, animal testing helps scientists learn how the human body works without actually experimenting on humans. The animals most commonly used in experiments are mice and rats. The California Biometrical Research Association says rats and mice are effective for experiments concerning humans due to the fact that, “mice share more than 98% DNA with humans…” This means that humans and mice share many similar problems and disabilities, making them a good organism to test. Many scientists do these tests to cure illnesses and to find answers that they could not determine in computer or cell and tissue tests.
In short animal testing saves lives. Animal testing helps find causes, and cures of disease, genetic defects, birth defects, and abnormalities.
Since experiments are cruel and expensive, “the world’s most forward-thinking scientists have moved on to develop and use methods for studying diseases and testing products that replace animals and are actually relevant to human health” (“Alternatives to Animals”). Companies claim that this sort of cruelty will benefit the human population by testing the “safety” of the products, as they have been for hundreds of years, and although this may have been helpful in the past, scientists have discovered otherwise. “While funding for animal experimentation and the number of animals tested on continues to increase, the United States still ranks 49th in the world in life expectancy and second worst in infant mortality in the developed world” (“Animal Testing Is”). This evidence shows that while we still continue to support and spend money on animal testing, it is not working as well as we thought.
Animal testing is the use of non-human animals for scientific experimentation. There are estimates that 50 to 100 million vertebrate animals worldwide, from zebra fish to on-human primates, are used annually. Much larger numbers of invertebrates are used even flies and worms are used as model organisms are very important, experiments on invertebrates are largely unregulated and not included in statistics. Animals are euthanized after being used in an experiment. Some of these animals are purpose-bred and others are caught in the wild or they are supplied by dealers who obtain them from auctions and pounds.
Hundreds of millions of animals die every year from animal testing in the United States. Innocent animals are used everyday in laboratories for biology advancements, medical training, curiosity-driven experimentation, and chemical, drug, food, and cosmetic testing. They are used to provide information to make better products that are safe for human use. Although animal experimentation has some benefits, the negatives outweigh the positives. Animal testing is killing off innocent beings for the possible human benefit, and with modern technology, there are alternative ways to test products that leave animals unharmed.
Every year, thousands of animals are tormented, and then die during the animal experiments. Another fact is from Vivisection Information Network, there is a rough estimate from the European Union that 10.5 million vertebrate animals were used in animal experiments, which is 28,800 per day or one every three seconds. Around 18.5 million animals were used in the USA per year (Updated). Also, there are still a large amount of animals that have not been registered. Even though there are disadvantages and disagreement in using of animal experiment, there is also some evidences show that animal experiment is inevitable for the future progress, and the human beings would not have greater life quality without animal testing.
Doctors, nurses, animal care personnel, veterinarians, farmers, conservation managers, teachers, zoo keepers and others engaged in animal-related activities all benefit in animal research to broaden their knowledge. Testing is done as a check on the safety of new drugs or substances for human or animal use, and to check whether new batches of drugs and other agents like vaccines work. There is a legal requirement to test how safe and effective chemicals, drugs and other agents are before they can be sold.
Imagine your sweet cat locked in a cage inside a laboratory with other various animals. Millions of animals every year are locked up in labs for testing. Animals are used to test medications, cosmetics, biology lessons, and for medical training. Thousands of mice, rats, primates, cats, dogs, and other animals are used for testing. Most of these animals will die in cruel testing experiments. Animal testing is tortures to the animals, an unreliable option for medication, and there are better safer options for testing.