The Pros of Animal Testing

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Albert Sabin, the developer of the polio vaccine once said, “Without animal research, polio would still be claiming thousands of lives each year.” Polio is a deadly disease caused by a virus that spreads from person to person. This infectious disease renders the brain and spinal cord helpless while also ensuring a permanent case of paralysis to the victim. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “…13,000 to 20,000 para-lytic cases were reported annually,” before the 18th century. After the introduction of the polio vaccine, “…a total of 2,525 paralytic cases were reported, compared with 61 in 1965.” This dramatic decrease in the prominence of the polio disease can only be attributed to the success of animal testing. Animal experimentation is used in the research of genetics, drug testing, biology, toxicity testing, cosmetic testing, and many other fields. Despite all of its beneficial traits, animal testing has been wildly controversial over the past decades because of its perceived unethical treatment towards animals. Although animal testing may be deemed unethical by many, it is a form of medical testing that has not only saved lives but has also greatly revolutionized the medical world.
Animal testing is a subject appalled by many people. It is considered to be unethical, inhumane, and downright cruel. One of these reasons for the opposition of animal experimentation is due to the belief shared by many animal activist groups, such as PETA, that animals are kept in appalling living conditions in research facilities. Reasons to believe this are caused by minor instances of laboratories not abiding the law. However, despite these instances the welfare of test animals are preserved by many laws and regulatio...

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...ted States. Department of Agriculture. Animal Care Blue Book. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Regulations. United States Department of Agriculture. Web. 23 Dec. 2013. .
United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Pink Book "Tetanus" N.p.: n.p., n.d. Http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/tetanus.pdf. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.
Wharton, David A. "Toxoplasma Gondii Prevalence in Farm Animals in the United States." International Journal for Parasitology: ASP Special Issue : 2000 Joint Meeting of the New Zealand Society for Parasitology and Australian Society for Parasitology Te Papa, Wellington, New Zealand, 24-28 September 2000. 2nd ed. Vol. 43. Oxford: Elsevier Science, 2001. 107-13. Print.

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