“The question is not, “Can they reason?” nor, “Can they talk?” but “Can they suffer?” –Jeremey Bentham. Animal testing has been a prevalent issue since the nineteenth century with over 25 million animals being used for commercial testing in the United States. Animals have been harmed since humans differ from animals, they are not protected, and the procedures performed are very expensive. Animals are being used in labs across the country to perform different types of experiments. Most of the time, the suffering these animals endured are unimaginable. Animal testing should be banned in our country simply because it is cruel and inhumane.
Animal testing in a cruel and antiquated practice that has led to misleading results and animal suffering. Many animals that are used in testing undergo cruel methods which causes them to suffer tremendously. Animal’s rights need to be protected and taken into consideration as well. Humans should not have the authority or power to decide the fate of animals. Animal experimentation is both cruel and unnecessary, and humans have no right to put innocent animals through torture. In many instances animal testing results are not accurate and lead to false conclusions. It is unclear why some scientists assume that animals have the same biological and genetically structures as humans and therefore can have similar results.
Scientists often don’t benefit from testing on animals as they are so different from us and react differently to drugs. The results obtained from experimenting on animals are undependable. For example, morphine calms humans but excites cats, cortisone causes birth defects in mice but not in humans, penicillin kills guiniea pigs and hamsters and aspirin poisons cats. If the results of tests on animals had been relied upon we would not have penicillin or digitalis (a drug used by heart patients but which was withheld for a long time because it was found to raise the blood pressure of dogs). We would also be without chloroform (once a common anesthetic but not used initially because it was toxic to dogs) and aspirin (which causes fetal deformities in rats and is toxic to certain animals). Certain steroids, adrenaline, insulin and some antibiotics are also toxic to many animals but medically beneficial to humans.
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Some of the tests that are practiced in animals are not only unreliable but also cause incredible suffering to the animals used as testing subjects. The most common tests are the Draize Eye Test, the LD50 and Skin Test for Toxicity which are used for products in the cosmetic industry and in the household products industry. These tests are cruel, inhumane, and not reliable and cause a great discomfort in animals. For example, The Draize Eye Test substances are applied to the eyes of an animal in order to test irritancy from shampoos, pesticides or detergents just to name a few. The results from this test are surreal because there are major differences between an animal’s eye and a human eye.
On the other hand, the LD50 is used to test lipsticks and skin care products. During this procedure, rabbits, mice, dogs, cats, and in some instances, guinea pigs are the subject of the experiment and are exposed intravenously to the ingredients of the product. The animal is fed up to 50 percent of its body weight and the goal of the test is to find the dose which will kill half the animal sample. For the test to be valid statistically, a minimum of 50 animals are required. Another common test in animals is the Skin Test for Toxicity. Mainly rats are used in this test in which their fur is shaved and the product is applied to the exposed skin.
“In some instances, results obtained from rats used for cancer research have been inaccurate and in turn not reliable to make medical decisions that can impact human life. In recent years, it has been found that rats gene repair system makes them unusually predisposed to cancer and while it was once thought that their responses paralleled our own, it now appears that there are significant differences in ‘the way humans and rodents repair genes damaged by chemicals, radiation, or other agents that mutate DNA.” (Animal Testing 101).
In addition to this, animals do not have a way to defend themselves or seek medical attention if needed. Animals are left in despair and abandoned in labs across the country where poisoning, shocking, burning, and killing is all in a day’s work. When animals are hurt outside of laboratories those actions are considered felonies and the individuals responsible are prosecuted and must face the consequences of their actions. Unfortunately, some cruelty acts against animals are unnoticed and those who hurt animals hide behind the walls of a laboratory where animals are left with no protections and at the mercy of those who feel animals have no rights. Animals are able to feel pain and fear and should be entitled to live without fear or distress. During animal testing, some are burned, cut, mutilated, poisoned, blinded, starved and even brain damaged in order to facilitate monetary benefit from mayor companies around the world. The Humane Society of the United States dedicates their organization to aid in the elimination of animal cruelty
The American Veterinary Medical Association defines animal pain as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience perceived as arising from a specific region of the body and associated with actual or potential tissue damage. (Orlans 129). Just like humans, animals also are capable of feeling pain and suffering. Animals are not objects that can be tossed around and exposed to different chemicals without causing discomfort. The goal of animal testing is to make our lives better but alternative approaches should be considered instead. One process is called the Neutral Read Uptake Assay. Cultures, jelly like substances, are placed in a glass case and then human cells are added. At this point, the human cells would either live or die or change color. This allows the scientists to analyze the results and predict how likely a chemical is to harm human cells.
Also, nowadays there is more modern technology like human-patient simulators and computer modelling that are cheaper, faster and more accurate than animal tests. The animals suffer from the abuse they receive from these tests. If humans were treated the same way it would be seen as inhumane and would be stopped immediately, so why should animals be any different? Approximately 90% of doctors agreed that that animal experiments can be misleading and experiment results may result invalid because of the mayor differences between animals and humans. Animal Testing should be banned solely for the reason that it is pointless and cruel. At least thirty-three animals die in laboratories each second worldwide; in the UK, one every four seconds. (Why Animals is Wrong)
Animals become part of our families very quickly and are part of our everyday lives to provide companionship, emotional support, and lower stress. Not only do they provide us with companionship, but they reduce sense of loneliness, help us to increase our social activities, and add to a child’s self-esteem and positive emotional development. To think if our pets were in a similar situation, consequently our response would be to immediately prevent it, and the same attitude should be delivered to these innocent animals as well.
In conclusion, eliminating animal testing should be promoted and enforced at all times. Animals endure pain and suffering and are exposed to toxicity during experiments. There is not a valid justification to torture and sacrifice animals thousands of animals on a yearly basis in order to accommodate the demands of manufactures. Instead, animals should be treated with kindness, respect and dignity in order to preserve their rights. This is the best choice and the right thing to do in order to provide a fair and just treatment to all. We must be able to preserve our habitat and take care of our planet by saving the animals that live in it.
