Pros And Cons Of Animal Testing

Animal Testing: a Vital Necessity In order to save people’s lives animal testing is necessary. 43% of adults in the United States say they are against animal testing (Alas). Yet most the adults who say they are against animal testing take medicine and use products that all have been tested on animals. The advances made from animal testing have increased our biomedical technology significantly. Almost every breakthrough we have had has some part of animal testing. Without animal testing the alternate measures that would have to be taken would be unimaginable. Also the conditions of the animals are humane and commonly miss-represented. With all these benefits, I think it is very clear we need animal testing.
Numerous people believe that animal testing is un-necessary. Regardless, animal testing is key in life saving treatments where, “Animal studies allow us to test potential treatments without confounding factors, such as prior drug use and other experiences that complicate human studies” (Proquest Staff). You can tell your family or friend who has suffered from and received treatment for cancer, strokes, heart disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s ,which all have treatments that benefited from animal testing that a treatment, that possibly saved their life shouldn’t have been developed because they were tested on animals which
is “un-necessary” (Alas). Adversaries of animal tests say we test on animals when we don’t need to, but what are the other options? If we didn’t test on animals what other alternative do we have? In Germany the Nazis decided not to test on animals instead, “children there were tested and any who performed below standards in intelligence or behavior tests were sent to a “special department” where they would be studied, examined and usually killed” (Vine). This is one, but not the only example in which animal testing is the best option for testing. Who are you to say that, “A new approach to cancer vaccines has successfully treated prostate tumors in mice”, a cure for cancer, is not something we need? In addition to the other arguments countless people say it is inhumane to test on animals. Nonetheless they must not have actually done research because “Chimpanzees… [Are] used very selectively and in limited numbers for medical research.” If you are trying to test on a chimpanzee there are restrictions you must meet. The knowledge you acquire from your studies must be necessary to improve the public’s health, there cannot be any other way the knowledge could be attained, the research is unable to be ethically performed on humans, and the animals must be kept in an environment like their natural one(Collins). Furthermore, “More than nine out of 10 of [the] animals [used] mice and rats.
Most people who argue this have probably used a mouse trap and put them in more pain the scientists do. We keep cows, pigs, and many other creatures in cages their whole lives before we kill and eat them for nourishment. How is testing on them and most of the time not even harming them worse? Also the testing not only benefits humans but also the animals, “…research has contribute to improvements in the environments of captive animals… and the development if vaccines for dealt diseases such as rabies, Lyme disease, and feline Leukemia” (Baldwin
38). Those who argue that animal testing is inhumane sit around and do nothing when there are millions of animals being put to death each year. In the United States there are about 80 million cats and 54 million dogs. Together 13.4 million dogs and cats are put to death each year. 66,610 dogs and 22,921cats are used in animal testing each year and most of them don’t even go through a single moment of pain (Baldwin 54). As a matter of fact out of the animals tested only, “6% experience pain” (Pruce). So to cut a long story short with animal testing humans aren’t put through pain and treatments are developed to save lives. Many of those treatments and medicines developed you use on a daily routine. As well to the benefits to humans animals are reimbursed with some advances themselves. Because of animal testing the lives and conditions animals are in are much better as well. Arguments can be given about animal testing but nevertheless animal testing is vital at this point in time. Not only for humans but for animals too.

Works Cited
Alas, Animal Experiments Are Still Needed." The Independent. 21 Jun 2011: 2. SIRS Issues 8888 Researcher. Web. 12 Feb 2013.
Baldwin, Elizabeth. "Issue 3." Taking Sides. 10th ed. Guilford: McGraw-Hill, n.d. 32-20. Print. 8888 Psychological Issues.
Collins, Dr. Francis. "Statement by NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins on the Institute..." NIH 8888 News Release. 15 Dec 2011: n.p. SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 12 Feb 2013.
ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Animal Experimentation." ProQuest LLC. 2013: n.pag. SIRS Issues 8888 Researcher. Web. 12 Feb 2013.
Pruce, David. "Can the Use of Animals in Medical Research Ever Be Justified?." The 888888888Independent. 21 Jun 2011: 8. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Feb 2013.
Vine, Nicholas. "Psychology Under the Third Reich." N.p., 10 Oct. 2009. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.