Why Animals Shouldn't Be Used in Scientific Experiements

Who is the first to sample a new type of coke or Pepsi? Who is the first one to an aspirin? Who is the first one to use brand new shampoos? Do you know the lucky ones of whom I speak? I’m referring to animals - cats, rabbits, rats, dogs, monkeys and so many other animals are cruelly used in various kinds of scientific research and millions of them die every year. Is not every life created by God equal?
Experimentation on animals serves as a protective alternative to testing on human beings. Since all these new products are being “tested” it seems unlikely and unethical to “test” on human beings right? But since humans are the ones who will later benefit from these products why not have some volunteer as test subjects? Why should insentient, innocent animals be subjected to selfish human testing? It is harmful to the animal and unconscionable. They are routinely cut open, poisoned and then caged in for weeks, months or even years. Some animals are often given diseases to see whether a new drug will work or whether it has side effects. Some animals are killed by researchers in order to see the degree of damage inside their bodies. This is immoral.
Typically rats are used in labs because they're very similar to humans physiologically and their rate of reproduction is much more rapid, hence it is easier to test for generational birth defects. I think it is ridiculous how much we make animals suffer for our own vanity. I wish it were mandatory for products to display on their packaging “tested on animals”, in the same way that nutritional facts such as trans fat and cholesterol presence are displayed. Maybe then more persons would be awakened to the cruelty that animals undergo.
Perhaps things can be made clearer if the tables should turn. Perhaps if it should ever occur that animals become masters of this planet, and we human beings become “slaves”—the scientific research targets that we would develop both sympathy and empathy towards animals. It is said that the best lesson is experience; maybe we human beings need a bit of experience. It is reported that three million animals die annually in scientific researches in UK. The number is about 115 million in the United States of America and many other countries perform similar experiments. Statistics show that an animal dies for scientific research every three seconds. However, the exact number of animals killed in the research every year is unknown, for researchers or governments never care about these dead and will never be totally truthful about the level and extent of cruelty faced by animals.
It's sad that people tend to only focus on the abuse of, and experimentation with animals, but do not give a second thought to the fur trade or abuse during food production. Animals are ill-treated on death row (in food processing) as it is widely believed that they are going to die anyway so it’s acceptable. Many animals face harsh and unjust treatment while being processed for consumption, likewise those animals that are stripped of their own fur in order to supply some fashion fanatic’s newest coat collar. This too should be taken into consideration when arguing about animal cruelty.