Why Animal Testing Is Necessary

Animal Testing is Necessary “Animal research and testing has played a part in almost every medical breakthrough of the last century. It has saved hundreds of millions of lives worldwide.” Joan Ryan. When most people think of animal testing, they usually think about injured, blinded animals that they have seen in pictures online or on TV. After seeing just a few of those images, most people are quick to side with banning animal testing. However what most people do not realize is how much animal testing has helped advance medicine. Many people are alive today because of the medicine made with the information scientists have found through testing animals. The reasons for animal testing include things such as: animals and humans have similar
genes, animal testing is more accurate than computer programs, and the majority of our medicine today was made created through testing animals. One reason for animal testing includes that animals have similar genes with humans. The main argument against animal testing is that humans and animals do not have exactly the same genes. However, if animals and humans did not have comparable gene characteristics than the results of the tests on animals would not apply to humans (Gericke). When looking at a human and an animal many would think that humans and animals do not have similar genes; simply because of the way that they look. Humans and animals actually do have a lot of similar genes, they share up to ninety-five percent of similar genes. Not only do humans and animals have this in common, they also contract the same diseases (“About Us”). Many rats and mice can get cancer and dogs can get diabetes, both of these are very common in humans. Pigs and humans have very similar vascular systems, in fact humans have survived for a short period of time with a pig heart in them. With animals and humans having such similar genes, animal testing has had very accurate results. Such accurate results are the reason for most of the medicine we have today. Another reason for animal testing is the majority of our medicine today was made possible by animal testing. Almost every major medical discovery since 1901, has been made because of the information that came from animal testing. Animal testing has assisted scientists to learn more about different types of medicines, how diseases affect different parts of the body, and just more about our body itself. We have asthma inhalers, insulin and a lot of our vaccines because of animal testing (“About Us”). Pushing aside these spectacular discoveries, some scientists say that if we want to make real medical progress we should perform tests on actual humans. They argue that testing on humans would make for more accurate results, but if it is not ethical to test on animals how could it be ethical to test on humans? Scientists have figured out a way to work around this ethical issue through the use samples of human skin cells and tissues with a computer program to test different kinds of medicine and disease (Gericke). The last reason for animal testing is that animal testing is more accurate than computer programs.
Another argument against animal testing is that there are computer programs that can simulate the effects of medicines and diseases in the human body. Computers can use human cells to replicate a human body, which would make testing more accurate. It would be like testing on a human, however there is no harm being done to a human or an animal (Gericke). Computer programs may be able to replicate diseases in human organs, but it cannot replicate the effect the disease will have on the entire body. So for example, if the computer program was to test medicine to help asthma the program would most likely be focused on the lungs or throat. The program would not, however show the effects the medicine might have on other organs. When testing on animals scientists can see the effects of medicine on every part of the animal, making animal testing more accurate and less likely to have unpredictable side effects
(Lsitland). Animals that are being tested on are treated very differently than what most people believe. Animal testing may seem inhumane, but it is not. Most scientists take care of the animals that they are testing on and make sure that the animals are not in any pain. Scientists want the animals in good condition to make the tests more accurate. The tests will not be very accurate if the animal being tested on dies from poor treatment rather than from the disease or a side effect of the medicine (“About Us”). Scientists have vets on standby when they test, so that the animal being tested on can get immediate medical help if needed. Sometimes animals have to be put down so scientists can study how medicines and diseases affect their organs and tissue (“Animal Research FAQs”). Putting animals down to study them may seem cruel, but if the tests are not complete, it can cause medicines to have unpredictable side effects. In one case, a type of medicine was not tested on pregnant animals and the medicine ended up harming or killing unborn human beings. Most of the animals that have to be put down are small animals that have short life spans anyway (Listland). The animals that do not have to be put down get adopted after testing (“Animal Research FAQs”). Animal testing is necessary, because it helps advance medicine and medical technology.
Animal testing was a part of the progress of making hip replacement surgery, tetanus vaccine, heart transplants and blood transfusions and much more. Animal testing is able to help medicine advance, because animals and humans have similar genes. Since animals and humans have similar genes, testing on animals make very accurate results. To complete some of these tests animals may have to be put down, but completing these tests have advanced most of our medicine, saving many lives. When these tests are not completed, there is a higher risk of unpredictable side effects and in some cases death. Some scientists believe that using computer programs to do testing is a better and more accurate option that testing on animals. Computer programs can simulate different affects diseases and medicine have on the human body and what kind of effects they will cause. However the computer program cannot simulate how medicines and diseases will affect every organ and part of the body. Technology is always advancing someday computer programs might become advanced enough to replace animal testing, than animals will no longer have to be put at risk for
humans.