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Negative impacts of animal testing
Cons to animal testing
Testing of animals controversy
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Many people may not realize that the majority of products in their own home have been tested on animals; from lipstick and shampoo to dish soap and foot powder. Even the white ink on an M&M has been tested on animals. To some, this statement may be alarming and even disturbing – to others it may not mean much at all. Either way, the debate over animal testing has gained much popularity in recent decades. Animal testing has been done since at least 500 BC; even Aristotle experimented on animals for scientific reasoning. Around 200 AD, dissecting animals in public was actually used as a form of entertainment, people would actually go and watch someone perform a vivisection on an animal. Vivisection is when an organism is dissected while it is still alive (“Animal Testing”). The public did not start objecting animal testing until the 19th century, which was around the time when more people started to adopt domestic pets. In 1875, the first group to protect animals from testing was formed, called the Society for the Protection of Animals Liable to Vivisection (“Animal Testing”). Through the 20th century, companies began testing products on animals before they would be put on the market. It was not until recent years that scientific evidence revealed that animals experience pain much more than what was originally believed. Unfortunately, the agonizing cries of the animals was not convincing enough for the scientists of the past. This is where the animal testing controversy begins (Scott). Animal testing is unnecessary, inhumane, and unreliable. There are many pros and cons that come along with animal testing, but there are usually more cons of animal testing, then there are pros. Animal testing is unnecessary. Some people who are f... ... middle of paper ... ...uct is pulling money from the pockets of these companies and scientists. It is important to be informed on this because people make decisions every day and do not realize that they are supporting animal testing by buying these products. Everyone is involved because they are either supporting it by buying those products, or not supporting it by not buying those products. By being informed on the effects of consumerism has on the welfare of animals, a life can be saved just by buying a different product. Works Cited "Animal Testing." ProConorg Headlines. Animal Testing ProCon, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. . Ferdowsian, Hope R. "Ethical and Scientific Considerations Regarding Animal Testing and Research." EBSCO Animals. EBSCO, Sept. 2011. Web. Mar. 2014. Scott, John Paul. Animal Behavior. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1958. Print
Animal testing has gone back as far as three hundred B.C.E with the Greek physician and philosopher, Aristotle (*). Then there was Galen, a Greek physician, who studied animals in Rome and learned more about medicine, made advancements in understanding anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology. To modern society, Galen is referred to as being the father of vivisection. In the twelfth century in Spain, Ibn Zuhr, an Arab physician who made use of animal experimentation that led to testing the effectiveness of surgical procedures, first on animals, and then applying the information to human patients. Though most of his testings were on goats, much of his research went into postmortem autopsies and dissections. (Hajar) (Naik)
League, Animal Defense. “Policy Statement on Animal Research.” Civil Rights in America. Woodbridge, CT: Primary Source Media, 1999. American Journey.Student Resources in Context. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.
Throughout history, beginning as early as 500 BC, animals have been used to test products that will later be utilized by humans (“Animal Testing” 4), what isn’t publicly discussed is the way it will leave the animals after the process is done. Many innocent rabbits, monkeys, mice, and even popular pets such as dogs are harmed during the testing application of cosmetics, medicine, perfumes, and many other consumer products (Donaldson 2). Nevertheless, there are many people whom support the scandal because "it is a legal requirement to carry out animal testing to ensure they are safe and effective” for human benefit (Drayson). The overall question here is should it even be an authorized form of experimentation in the United States, or anywhere else? The fact of the matter is that there are alternatives to remove animals out of the equation for good (“Alternatives” 1). They are cheaper, and less invasive than the maltreatment of the 26 million innocent animals that are subjected to the heartlessness of testing each year (“Animal Testing” 4). All in all, due to the harsh effects of animal testing, it should be treated as animal cruelty in today’s society.
The fact that animals are still used when animal experimentation is avoidable and not necessary makes animal testing unethical. According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (2013), over one hundred million animals suffer and sometimes die from experiments to test chemicals, drugs, foods, and cosmetics (para 3). Although it is good that the companies are concerned that their products do not harm consumers, the law does not require most of these tests animals endure. Furthermore, these tests do not have accurate results, so the animals may suffer, but the product is still sold to the people. While products that burn bunnies’ eyes away are being marketed to consumers, government agencies are using taxpayers’ hard-earned money to fund these horrible, pointless experiments.
The argument surrounding animal testing is older than the United States of America, dating back to the 1650’s when Edmund O’Meara stated that vivisection, the dissection of live animals, is an unnatural act. Although this is one of the first major oppositions to animal testing, animal testing was being practiced for millennia beforehand. There are two sides opposing each other in the argument of animal testing, and the argument is one of the oldest arguments still being debated today. The history of animal experimentation and testing, and the arguments surrounding it, has an expansive and somewhat extensive history. Some of the first medical research that was conducted on living animals was done by Aelius Galenus, better known as Galen, in the second century C.E. There have been examples of animal testing in earlier dates, but Galen devoted his life to understanding science and medicine, so he is attributed to being the father of vivisection.
Today, millions of animals are being tested for the use of human products, causing them to fall ill and die, leaving them no choice but to be experimented on. Animal abuse can be more than what meets the eye. Specifically, animal testing is a form of animal abuse and usually ends in the death of a harmless animal. Some might say that there is no other way to test products, but due to the harm that is done and our advancements in science, animal testing should not be tolerated. Our advancements in science have enabled us to create other things that we can test on, instead of harming innocent animals.
There is a moral blind spot in the treatment of animals that enable us to justify the cruelties for the perceived benefits of humans. Animals are living things. They have lungs which breathe, hearts which beat, and blood that flows. In fact, animals sense of smell, sight, and sound is much more acute than our own. Therefore, we can assume that their sensitivity to pain is at least equal to ours. According to Hippocrates, “The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different.” This can go with the Duty Theory that states that every individual gets treated the same. The intentions of animal testing is not to harm the animals, but that is exactly what it does.
However, there are many pros and cons about animal testing for example, some of the pros would be, that animal testing gives us the most accurate effect on substance on a livin...
Animal testing has long played a part in the science of testing, and it still plays a very important role in the medical world. Testing on animals in order to create a cure for AIDS is one thing, but testing on animals for human vanity is another. Animal testing is used to test the safety of a product. It has kept some very unsafe substances out of the cosmetic world. However, in this day in age, animal testing is not the only way to test the safety of a product. Animal testing in cosmetics has decreased over the years. However, it is still used by many companies in America. Animal testing is not only cruel, but it is also unnecessary in today’s advanced scientific world.
“Should Animals Be Used for Scientific or Commercial Testing” Procon.org Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2014
In today’s world there’s many controversies that many people don’t agree with such as animal testing for scientific use. Animal testing is a subject that is greatly divided, with a great deal of passion, emotion and ideas on both sides regarding the ethics of this practice. On the other side some are still at a cross-road with the subject, while agreeing with animal testing under special circumstances but not for other uses.
For years animal testing has been a very controversial issue around the globe. Animal testing has been very beneficial to people, but has cause an up stir to animal rights activists and organizations like PETA. “The earliest references to animal ex...
Many businesses today test their products on animals before putting them on the market, which creates a controversial issue. The effects of animal testing can be beneficial in some ways but there are other efficient ways to test these products without putting the life of an animal in harm. Photos have been revealed to the public of the after-effects on animals from certain products, and after seeing these photos it should make everyone realize the cruelty of this and put a stop to animal testing. Many argue that animals should be used for research; however, the potential harm and suffering that can result from the testing is inhumane.
As seen throughout the research done throughout this paper, it is clear the animals should not be tested on, regardless of the circumstance. This is because there are plenty of alternatives to these tests that will not harm animals and will be much safer in general, animals are very often mistreated and abused in the process of testing for product safety, and the results of the tests performed on animals might not have the same effect on humans. These three reasons are why animal testing should be completely banned in the U.S. If animal testing continues, then the lives of many innocent animals will be taken away from them for a reason that doesn’t add up to the lives of animals being taken away.
For years researchers have relied on animal trials to test every type of product that is put on the market. They are subjected to cosmetics, food additives, and household and industrial products; all of which do not concern animals. While some in both the medical and scientific community believe animal testing is beneficial it is morally offensive, delays possible cures and is completely unnecessary.