Why Animal Testing Should Be Banned: Key Cons Inhumane Treatment in Animal Experimentation Any conversation about animal analysis's pros and cons ought to admit that creature research topics involve subjecting animals to what could aptly be called torture. Another issue of animal testing is that animals often have to suffer from plenty of pain during the trial period. The E.P.A. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window), A Novices Guide to Confidence, Setbacks, and the Future, Put the ME in Time: How to Make Time for Yourself. Any discussion of animal testing pros and cons must acknowledge that certain kinds of animal research involve subjecting creatures to what can aptly be described as torture. Animals living with the induced conditions is unpleasant also. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'environmental_conscience_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_5',146,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-large-leaderboard-2-0');Many of our health problems can also be mitigated by using vaccines. Simply put, animals dont have the same rights or cognitive abilities as we do. Our goal is to make science relevant and fun for everyone. After all, when it comes to animal testing, there are clearly more cons than pros. Understatement: this is often unpleasant. Animal testing helps ensure the safety of drugs and other substances that humans may be exposed to on a daily basis, such as cosmetics. Therefore, animal research can also take away the need to test vaccines on humans in early research stages and can protect us humans from serious potential complications. Thus, it is crucial that this kind of research is carried out with great care in order to avoid those unpleasant surprises. As technology moves forward, there is less and less need for animal experimentation. Animal testing should be banned is all U.S laboratories due to cruel and painful procedures, unreliable results, and replaced with alternatives. If a scientist wanted to study the entire life cycle, it would be a logistics nightmare to study people because of their long lives. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'environmental_conscience_com-narrow-sky-1','ezslot_16',197,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-narrow-sky-1-0'); For instance, animals are often treated quite poorly and suffer from quite poor living conditions. It seems that the only reason it still exists in such popularity is . Good Essays . if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'environmental_conscience_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_6',188,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');Our average life expectancy has greatly increased over the past decades. to move away from requiring the testing of potentially harmful chemicals on animals? For instance, this is especially true for food supplements since they often contain high concentrations of a certain substance, which may be potentially harmful to human health. These sentient beings arent even defined as animals under this act, which is the only federal law offering any sort of protection for animals. Pros and Cons Nurunnabi ASM 1 Afr, oz RD 2, Alam SN 3 Abstract: Did you know that pacemakers and anesthetics were developed using animal testing? Another example is thalidomide which passed animal tests but caused congenital disabilities in human beings. Human wellness is more likely to be advanced by devoting resources to the development of non-animal test methods, which have the potential to be cheaper, faster, and more relevant to our bodies and health. What are your thoughts on animal testing? Sometimes, theyre subjected to painful procedures that inflict them with burns, wounds, and pain to test. Theres been a lot of positive action among other federal agencies, but we want to see all government agencies take this step.. At the conclusion of most experiments, the subjectsmillions of them per yearare killed. It has even brought certain species from the brink of extinction. In fact, some viruses may be able to escape laboratories, which may lead to serious epidemics or even pandemics. One of the main advantages for animal testing is advancements in medical research. The Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs are among the government agencies that still rely on animal testing. Check out a list of our latest victories. has for decades required testing on a variety of animals including rats, dogs, birds and fish to gauge their toxicity before the chemicals can be bought, sold or used in the environment. It has now become easier for scientists to examine the complete lifecycle quickly. Still, one cant deny what the world has gained from animal testing. Take a trip through time using PETAs interactive timeline, Without Consent, to learn about almost 200 stories of twisted animal experiments from the past century. Highlights: "Animal testing in which there is consent, or in which the procedure is beneficial to the patient, is morally acceptable and should not be banned. We are really excited as this has been something weve wanted for quite some time, said Kitty Block, the president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, an animal protection organization. Animals used for such safety testing are usually not killed and remain relatively healthy. Another reason why animal testing needs to be done is that the animals being tested, have similar organs such as the brain, lungs, heart, liver, etc. They languish in pain, suffer from extreme frustration, ache with loneliness, and long to be free. It's unethical. No experiment, no matter how painful or trivial, is prohibitedand painkillers are often not required. U.S. only. In addition, it should be banned because, it is inaccurate, unreliable, and its benefits to human beings have not yet been fully confirmed by the current research. Current subscribers: You will continue to receive e-mail unless you explicitly opt out by clicking, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. And how exactly might anyone know that humans benefit more than animals are harmed? Still, animal testing findings help veterinaries know how to treat our pets when theyre unwell. Why? Animal testing is crucial to ensure that vaccines are safe. In UK, the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 defined regulated procedures as animal experiments that could potentially cause "pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm". Its not an easy debate, though, because, as is with everything, there are pros and cons of animal testing. One significant problem of animal research is that there are many ethical concerns related to it. Animals can include everything from mice and rats to monkeys and dogs. Many of the most important medical advances are attributable to human studies. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Among others, articles have been cited by NPOs, Wikipedia, Medium.com as well as on several college websites and lifestyle blogs. Why? Why or why not? The agency said it would also invest $4.25 million in projects at four universities and a medical center that are developing alternate ways of testing chemicals that do not involve animals. is making decisions.. And more importantly, if my child were dying and I tried to experiment on my neighbors children to try to save my own child, that would be wrong. Therefore, in order to protect millions of human lives in the future, we might have to sacrifice some animal lives. Apart from the ethical concerns related to animal experimentation, there are also some financial problems related to animal research. Here are a few arguments against animal testing that support the thought of banning this activity. Especially from an ethical perspective, animal research may not be justifiable and we as humanity should search for additional research methods in order to make animal testing obsolete in the future. Studies published in prestigious medical journals have repeatedly shown that experiments on animals waste animals lives and precious resources because they arent even relevant to human health. Chimpanzees and humans share 99 percent of their DNA, and even mice and humans have a 98 percent overlap in this area. E.P.A. Photo by Louis Reed on Unsplash. 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. But when one group benefits at the major expense of another group, thats usually wrong. After finishing university, I traveled around the world. And they are killed at the end of the experiments to study the treatments effects. While it was quite common that people died around the age of 40 just a few centuries ago, we now have an average life expectancy of around 85 years and the trend continues to go upwards. One of the leading arguments against animal testing is that it is simply a waste of scientific energy and resources, because the results of tests done on other species often cannot be reliably extrapolated to humans. The E.P.A. Does that make using the car OK? The E.P.A.s deadline is arbitrary, Dr. Sass said. Most research projects are unregulated by the government. recently said it would move away from requiring the testing of potentially harmful chemicals on animals. Most of the products tested on animals dont even make it to supermarkets. Therefore, animal research can not only help us humans, but findings from animal experimentation can also be quite useful when it comes to the treatment of diseases of animals of various sorts. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'environmental_conscience_com-box-3','ezslot_1',614,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-box-3-0');Animal testing (sometimes also referred to as animal experimentation or animal research) has become quite popular over the past decades. The only other valid method would be to test drugs in early research stages on us humans. Actually all testing and research done on animals should be under the control of government. While thats true, for the models to work efficiently in researching the endocrine system, the immune system, and the central nervous system, theyd need reliable information obtained from animal testing. The LibreTexts libraries arePowered by NICE CXone Expertand are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. The Act leaves out over 25 million animals at risk of abuse and neglect yearly. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'environmental_conscience_com-mobile-leaderboard-2','ezslot_15',195,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-mobile-leaderboard-2-0'); It had been quite helpful over the course of human history to find certain medicines to treat serious diseases in the past and will also be helpful to treat potentially serious diseases in the future. The landscape of modern medicine would unquestionably be vastly different without animal testing in the mix. Hence, similar to the practice of genetic engineering, animal testing may also not be justifiable since we as humans may never have been meant to play god or to have god-like powers. Pros Cons There are preferable alternatives to animal testing that are more accurate and humane. So how about we dive deep into animal testing pros and cons and see which side of the debate we want to be on. One famous medical discovery is insulin which was discovered through an experiment in which dogs had their pancreas removed. Do you think it is ever justified? Here are the top five reasons why it needs to stop: 1. Imagine there, day in and day out, horrible things happened to you; Such as being forced fed, being inflicted with burns and various other wounds, poisoned, shut off from members of your species, being deprived of food and water, all while likely even being led to death. Thankfully, most cosmetics companies have already banned tests on animals as a result of PETAs campaigns and consumer pressure. Money spent on animal experimentation is wasted in many cases; due to inability in obtaining accurate results, and all this at the cost of the animals' well-being. Many scientists estimate that in a few years, newborns may even have a life expectancy of over 100 years. Testing on animals is complicated, common, and actually more problematic than you may believe. Our study also revealed that drug tests on monkeys are just as poor as those using any other species in predicting the effects on humans. Those trials are often carried out with the help of animal testing in the early stages in order to avoid potential dangers for human health. While it may make sense to use animal experiments from time to time since there are simply no other alternatives, those experiments may not be justifiable on a large scale. Computer modeling, robotics, 3-D modeling, in-vitro testing, and even human volunteers are all acceptable replacements. Sather Health is a student health website that aims to deliver trusted health information to students and their communities. This is because, despite the similarities between humans and other mammals, the differences are still significant enough to give unreliable results. Therefore, also from a religious perspective, animal research can be considered to be quite problematic and may even be illegal in regions where those religions are quite popular. Students, read the entire article, then tell us: Do you support the decision by the E.P.A. The federal government and many health charities waste billions of dollarsincluding money from U.S. taxpayerson animal experiments at universities and private laboratories, instead of supporting promising non-animal studies that could actually benefit humans. Some claim there are no alternatives to animal testing, that it is necessary. But there are alternatives (mentioned above) and its not literally necessary that anyone do it: they can refrain. To illustrate it better, animal testing facts show that for every chicken used in research, 340 more are used as food. Animal experimentation has clear and undeniable benefits to humankind; for example, the development of drugs to combat deadly diseases. But Dr. Woodruff, who worked at the E.P.A. If you are looking for more ways to live an eco-conscious lifestyles, then check out our complete guide here. The PETA International Science Consortium Ltd. works with agencies around the world to reduce the number of animals used in tests. Advances in breast cancer, brain trauma, leukemia, cystic fibrosis, malaria, multiple sclerosis and tuberculosis are directly attributable to animal experimentation, and without testing on chimpanzees, there would be no hepatitis B vaccine. E-Readers Increasing Reading Comprehension, Deterring Dyslexia, The (Non)Mystery Behind Female Ejaculation, Late-Night Work: How to Maximize Utility Without Sacrificing Health, Harm Reduction: Reducing Alcohol Consumption in the Dorms. What Happened to Starving Monkeys After 40 Years? Because of that, for some people, this is a high-stakes fight for what is right but for others, its an unfortunate but acceptable price to pay for science. Animal testing has been a staple of research and studies for a long time. Theyre more efficient and save lives., Kathleen Conlee, the vice president of animal research issues at the Humane Society, said the E.P.A.s move is broad-sweeping and significant., This is the first time a government agency has made such a commitment and timelined its specific goals along the way, Ms. Conlee said. Quite often, before those vaccines will be approved for medical applications on the general public, plenty of trials have to be carried out in order to assure the safety of those vaccines. Since those reasons apply to many animals experimented upon, animal testing is also wrong. However, some sell products in countries where tests on animals are required. You might wonder how an animal who doesn't speak can consent to research. Human genes cloned into microorganisms can yield more specific toxicology results, for example, than simply administering toxins to animals. A lot of research projects cause physical and psychological harm to animals. Animal testing is an effective method of testing products. Only with this kind of medical progress, we had been able to cure serious diseases in the past and will also be able to do so in the future. So, which side has the right idea? https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/01/learning/is-animal-testing-ever-justified.html. On the other hand, we have animal activists who feel that testing on animals is unethical. Right now, animals in university laboratories are being mutilated, poisoned, deprived of food and water, immobilized in restraint devices, infected with painful and deadly diseases, burned, electrocuted, irradiated, addicted to drugs, and psychologically tortured. Students 13 and older are invited to comment. Even though there are many advantages of animal research, there are also several problems related to this concept. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'environmental_conscience_com-mobile-leaderboard-1','ezslot_14',196,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-mobile-leaderboard-1-0'); However, those kinds of treatments may pose significant dangers to the test persons since the effects of many new drugs are not exactly known in early testing stages. The activity of animal testing is of cruelty and sometimes unscientific. We aim to provide self-care resources created by students for students and provide a platform where students can discuss health issues. By submitting this form, you are agreeing to our collection, storage, use, and disclosure of your personal info in accordance with our privacy policy as well as to receiving e-mails from us. Its wrong and should be banned. 8.9: Abortion and Animal Rights- Does Either Topic Lead to the Other? In fact, researchers often do not care about this aspect at all and it may be rather questionable if we as humans should have the right to treat animals in such a poor manner. In many cases, animal testing may not even deliver any useful results at all. Testing on animals is unethical. For instance, there may be some serious diseases in the future of which we currently do not know anything at all. Statistics from the California Biomedical Research Association show that almost every medical breakthrough in the past 100 years results from animal experiments. Human beings live an estimated 70 years. PETA scientists sat in as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made the historic announcement that it would end toxicity tests on mammalssomething weve pushed the agency to do for nearly 20 years. On Sept. 10, the Environmental Protection Agency said it would move away from requiring the testing of potentially harmful chemicals on animals, a decision that was hailed by animal rights. Scientists must jump through many legal hurdles to experiment on humans, including getting consent forms. They even engage in acts of self-mutilation, including tearing out their own hair and biting their own flesh. Only then will we be prepared in case we have serious outbreaks of epidemics or even pandemics, at least to a certain extent. [ 1] [ 2] [ 3] 2. Such long-term studies contribute highly to cancer research. The state of the world will always be changing and in order to adapt to those changes, it is crucial that also our research continues to improve over time. In fact, many medicines that have been successfully tested on animals have failed to deliver proper results for humans. It may seem funny to some people that testing genetically modified techniques on animals is right but in my eyes, it isn't. No animal or human self or forced volunteered should undergo testing for science. 5. There are already sufficient safety data and many non-animal methods available to make animal testing obsolete for these products. With the advent of modern molecular biology and its analytical methods, scientists can now quantify the precise extent to which humans resemble other animals, genetically speaking. The alternatives are the future. U.S. law allows for animals to be burned, shocked, poisoned, isolated, starved, drowned, addicted to drugs, and brain-damaged. Neither the U.S. Food and Drug Administration nor the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission requires that cosmetics be tested on animals. Proponents of animal testing say that it. As estimated 26 million animals are used every year in the . Do you think not testing on animals hinders those efforts? 89% of scientists surveyed by the Pew Research Center were in favor of animal testing for scientific research. On the other hand, most animals have really short life cycles. Therefore, the long-term effects on humans may not be predictable at all from those animal experiments. Furthermore, animals such as mice and rabbits usually reproduce very quickly. When it comes to the testing of certain drugs or vaccines, there is simply a lack of suitable alternatives. There are many opinions about the pros and cons of using animals in scientific research. Animals are used in medical training exercises and in huge numbers in government- and taxpayer-funded curiosity-driven experiments at universities. For instance, chimpanzees share 99% of DNA with humans, while mice share 98%.