Arguments Against Animal Testing

Animal Testing, BAD IDEA

Animal testing is the running of tests and the research done in a laboratory on animals. Some of the tests are done to benefit human lives and other tests are done to determine side effects of a certain household or cosmetic products. It is a topic that has been up for debate for many years. Not only in the United States but all around the world as well. While some support the advances that come from the research others oppose the cruelty that the media projects to society. No matter what one’s opinion of the subject is, it is still something that our society and culture deals with. It’s an on going topic that should be resolved in the favor of making animal experimentation illegal.
First of all, there are three
main categories involved with animal experimentation. The first and probably the most widely practiced is chemical testing. Different amounts of chemicals are tested on hundreds of animals’ everyday. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claimed that almost every chemical must be tested before being imported into the United States. This being the case, between five thousand and eighty-seven thousand animals are subjected to the testing of chemicals (Kelly 132). A study at the University of Manchester approximated that for every one thousand chemicals that are tested, between six hundred thousand and one point two million animals will be killed as a result (Kelly 133). Chemical testing on animals is poisoning them. Their bloodstream is pounded with massive doses of different chemicals in order to see what the results will be. Most of the time, these doses of chemicals overwhelm the animal. Causing it to die a painful and stressful death.
The second level of animal testing comes from medical testing.
This type of testing has been known to be the most justified and humane type of testing. Scientists test new drugs on animals in order to determine the level of toxicity before releasing them into human hands. Although medical testing is said to be done to ensure the safety of drugs for humans, innocent animals are still being subjects to these drugs. With medical testing, there are two types of different procedures. The Draize Eye Irritancy Test and The Dermal Irritancy Tests. The Draize test involves putting a significant amount of a substance into the animal’s eye to test the level of irritation it causes (Lindsay III). The Dermal test involves repeatedly applying the substance to an animal's skin to see it's effects, depending of the substance, the consequences of the animals can be devastating (Lindsay III). Medical testing is cruelty to animals, forcing them to suffer horrible side effects and pain just so a new drug can be released. The medical field exists to cure and to help others, therefore causing innocent animals such pain that is contradicting its
purpose.
The last and most minor category is cosmetic testing. In cosmetic testing, animals are tested so that scientists are able to inform companies of the risks involved in using certain products. Cosmetic testing does not cure diseases or does it play any significant role in curing or saving a human life. Since these types of testing affect the animals in such a negative way and barely help us humans, why do it?
Experimentation is the cause for the death of thousands of innocent animals. However, the other side argues that without animal testing, the medical field would not be as knowledgeable about treatments. For example, chemotherapy, which saves about seventy percent of children with leukemia (Finsen 22). Also, that sixty million Americans would risk death from stroke, kidney failure, and heart attack due to the lack of medication to regulate high blood pressures (Finsen 21). The opposing side's point is certainly understandable.
Although the government has decided that experiments on animals are key, however, it is also a waste of time and money.
The truth is that the government provides funding for the numerous experiments that are conducted on thousands of animals each day. In numbers, the government wastes fourteen billion dollars a year for biomedical research (Thomas). In addition to this large sum of money spent, it costs another five hundred million dollars for the product to even become fully approved(Thomas). If it costs this much money to provide research and approve one drug, imagine the amount of money it costs for one thousand drugs to be tested and approved. It is too much money to even say the least. While the government pays for this experimentation, it is essentially paying for millions of animals to die. Instead of their money being forwarded toward animal torture, the money could be better spent by putting it toward a charity. Jill Fritz, President of the San Diego Animal Advocates agrees that the government's money could be used more wisely. She says, "The billions of dollars spent on the torture of animals would be better spent on preventive medicine and education.” Constantly, all to often you hear that a school system has to get rid of certain things such as sports, due to the lack of funding that they have. The money spent on animal experimentation could be given to those schools and be used for a better cause. Seeing how the government wastes so much money, banning animal
testing would be the smart choice.
The torture of animals during experimentation must be stopped and made illegal by the government simply because it is not humane. Innocent animals are put through this physical and mental pain during these experiments time and time again. For example, the most common test used today involves animals that are force-fed increasing doses of chemicals until they die (Kelly). Forcing an animal to inhale poison into its system is cruelty as well as torture. Experimentation on animals is extremely similar to devious acts such as rap or murder; creatures are getting killed for no apparent reason. To infect monkeys with the AIDS virus or to expose rodents to toxic chemicals and radiation is simply not acceptable, whatever the supposed benefits. If people go to jail for killing humans, killing animals should have the same punishment.
Since scientists are allowed to test chemicals and medical procedures without limits on animals with permission from the government, the testing’s can be countless. Such as around 100,000 - 125,000 animals are used each hour for testing (Kelly). These animals are injected with chemicals and suffer severe pain. How would you like it if someone abused you?
In conclusion, there are alternatives to animal experimentation that should be considered as a replacement. Innocent creatures are killed as a result of these unnecessary experiments and therefore, animal testing should be abolished. The government funds for these experiments, spending outrageous amounts of money, while this money could be better funded for more important matters such as education. Animals are living creatures as well as humans and should not be tortured. A needle to the eye, think about how that would feel.