The Pros And Cons Of Animal Testing
Introduction to Animal Testing
In the realm of science, testing and experimentation is the foundation on which scientific knowledge stands upon. In highly prioritized sciences such as Biological, Medical, pharmaceutical sciences, Animal testing stands at its core. In such sciences, as mentioned before, have a major focus on the human consumer. Animal testing qualifies as using model organisms, which are scientifically and governmentally approved organisms, allowed to be tested on in human-driven experimentation and research. The reason that these organisms are approved in experimental testing is because these models replicate a living system that can represent other living systems. Along with being cheap to invest in with shorter life spans to boot. According to the research of Cattaneo et al (2015), in the context of disease research most model are used because they accomplish three things: face validity, predict validity, and construct validity. If they reach these criteria then they are good …show more content…
models. Good models help to show symptoms and reactions to treatment that is predicted to be similar to human reaction. The one thing that makes animal testing such a controversial hot button topic in the scientific community is how it challenges scientific ethics.
Scientific Ethics in Animal Testing: what are they and what do they do?
Testing and experimentation, especially animal testing, is essential to most biomedical sciences.
Recently, animal testing has become a very controversial practice that challenges scientific morals and ethics. Before the establishment of scientific ethics in common scientific practices, experimentation and testing were left to looser parameters than faced with today. In some scientific practices, animal testing is the guideway to the validity of results. Ethical practices, in all general science practices, is the exercise of validity and integrity in scientific findings based on research in optimal conditions. According to Russel (2012), ethical practice pertaining to animals is providing valid scientific research using animal models in good psychological, physical, and environmental conditions. It is argued that animal testing is the basis of many scientific studies and experiments, but that it has now basically gone too mainstream without regards to the organisms’
state.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) stated that in 2013 alone, 1 million non-conventional model organism animals used in experiments. An estimated 100 million mice and rats, alone, were used.(2015) In figure 1, as seen below, there was an increase of animal use, testing, and sacrifice of animals in forensic research from 2000-2014, showing the increased use acknowledgment of animal testing research as mainstream. In figure 2 there is the illustration of the amount and types of animals killed or tested on in the name of forensic science. Both figure 1 and 2 shows how animal testing of animals increased in use for the sake of scientific testing and nothing more. According to Latham (2012) in regards to the Animal Welfare Act approach to animal testing justification, “animals suffer a larger and harsher form of cruelty and trauma in the name of science. Any study that will advance science, even in a very small way, can be used to justify tremendous amounts of animal suffering, as long as the suffering is necessary to the advance[of science]”.
In the realm of science, testing and experimentation is the foundation on which scientific knowledge stands upon. In highly prioritized sciences such as Biological, Medical, pharmaceutical sciences, Animal testing stands at its core. In such sciences, as mentioned before, have a major focus on the human consumer. Animal testing qualifies as using model organisms, which are scientifically and governmentally approved organisms, allowed to be tested on in human-driven experimentation and research. The reason that these organisms are approved in experimental testing is because these models replicate a living system that can represent other living systems. Along with being cheap to invest in with shorter life spans to boot. According to the research of Cattaneo et al (2015), in the context of disease research most model are used because they accomplish three things: face validity, predict validity, and construct validity. If they reach these criteria then they are good …show more content…
models. Good models help to show symptoms and reactions to treatment that is predicted to be similar to human reaction. The one thing that makes animal testing such a controversial hot button topic in the scientific community is how it challenges scientific ethics.
Scientific Ethics in Animal Testing: what are they and what do they do?
Testing and experimentation, especially animal testing, is essential to most biomedical sciences.
Recently, animal testing has become a very controversial practice that challenges scientific morals and ethics. Before the establishment of scientific ethics in common scientific practices, experimentation and testing were left to looser parameters than faced with today. In some scientific practices, animal testing is the guideway to the validity of results. Ethical practices, in all general science practices, is the exercise of validity and integrity in scientific findings based on research in optimal conditions. According to Russel (2012), ethical practice pertaining to animals is providing valid scientific research using animal models in good psychological, physical, and environmental conditions. It is argued that animal testing is the basis of many scientific studies and experiments, but that it has now basically gone too mainstream without regards to the organisms’
state.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) stated that in 2013 alone, 1 million non-conventional model organism animals used in experiments. An estimated 100 million mice and rats, alone, were used.(2015) In figure 1, as seen below, there was an increase of animal use, testing, and sacrifice of animals in forensic research from 2000-2014, showing the increased use acknowledgment of animal testing research as mainstream. In figure 2 there is the illustration of the amount and types of animals killed or tested on in the name of forensic science. Both figure 1 and 2 shows how animal testing of animals increased in use for the sake of scientific testing and nothing more. According to Latham (2012) in regards to the Animal Welfare Act approach to animal testing justification, “animals suffer a larger and harsher form of cruelty and trauma in the name of science. Any study that will advance science, even in a very small way, can be used to justify tremendous amounts of animal suffering, as long as the suffering is necessary to the advance[of science]”.