Controversial Essay on Animal Testing

Introduction

Should the use of animal testing be abolished? This is a global debate that has sparked sensitive reactions between the proponents and opponents of this argument. Animal testing is the use of animals to carry out research experimentations to find out how certain substances affect the human anatomy. Experimental analyses are mostly conducted in higher education institutions, medical schools, defense establishment institutions, animal testing facilities, and pharmaceutical research organizations. Animal testing is something that has been practiced for a long time in the past and is still embraced by various professions. However, this practice should be abolished for various reasons.

If this sample essay on"Controversial Essay on Animal Testing" doesn’t help,
our writers will!

Trust an expert

Reasons Why We Need Animal Testing

There are various reasons why researchers prefer the use of living animals to other alternatives. One of these reasons is because animals are the best option in researching complex substances that affect the whole body hence making them the appropriate specimens. Animals are used to advance scientific understanding and enhance basic biological knowledge. They help researchers to get a better understanding of how living organisms work and function.

Animals Similar to Humans: Animal Testing

Scientific researchers argue that animals have similar basic cell processes, and that animal body composition can be compared to the human body, (Karen Judson, pg.1). For instance, a rat has DNA that is almost the same as human DNA. Animals tend to function in a similar manner as humans, they breathe through the lungs, have similar digestive systems, have similar eyes to humans, and reproduce the same way as humans. Medical practitioners must understand how healthy body functions and be able to identify how an ailing body behaves. This enables them to have a polished understanding and build their medical practice for the better. Imagine learning the art of mechanical repair. One needs to understand how the engine works and which system to diagnose in a case of mechanical failure, the same situation applies to medical practitioners. Therefore, the use of rats can be compared to an actual vehicle that a mechanic does practice on before doing the actual repairs on people's vehicles.

Diseases Cured With Animal Testing

The second reason why animals are regarded as the most appropriate specimens for testing is that both animals and humans share numerous diseases. This makes them the best option for researchers during scientific analysis and practical experiments to study diseases. For instance, animals such as dogs, rabbits, and cats suffer from the same ailments that mostly affect humans. Dogs may suffer from cancerous infections, hemophilia, ulcers, and eye cataracts. Rabbits suffer from infections that affect the arteries and rats suffer from gouts. Why would a doctor use an artificial specimen that cannot contract such diseases for research while they have the alternative of using the actual victims? It is only logical to use animal testing for such procedures if perhaps we want to find the exact causes of these diseases and develop effective treatments for them.

Animal Testing for Medical Research

Also, animal testing illustrates how these diseases affect our bodies, how Our immune system responds to certain therapies, and what makes us vulnerable to diseases. The third reason why animals are used for experiments is that, through the use of living organisms, researchers gain more knowledge about particular conditions hence increasing the chances of developing cures for serious infections. Researchers induce animals with certain infections and use them to try the effectiveness of certain medicines in dealing with the infections. For instance, before the introduction of the anti-retroviral drugs, many people had perished from the deadly infection due to a lack of proper knowledge on how to neutralize the impact of the disease. However, after numerous attempts on induced animals, pharmaceutical researchers were able to make the most awaited discovery of the drugs which arrest HIV and prevent them from feeding on the red blood cells. Animal testing enhanced this critical development and played a significant role in saving lives. Animal testing allows new targets for disease intervention and is essential before testing on the human body, (Ralph Dell, pg.3).

Animal Testing: Safety of Drugs

The fourth and last reason for the use of animal testing is to shield both humans and animals from medicinal harm. Imagine being admitted to a hospital and the doctor induces you with a non-tested medicine that later causes severe harm to your entire body, how would you react in such a situation? After the discovery of a medication, researchers must conduct thorough testing on the medicine to determine its effectiveness of the invention. This enables them to identify both the benefits and the side effects of the new findings and establish whether they are suitable for use on the human body. Also, according to pharmaceutical ethics, it is critical to conduct tests on a suitable animal before proceeding to use any medicine on the actual human body. This helps to prevent the outbreak of new diseases as a result of scientific research and increasing scientific challenges rather than dealing with the existing ones.

Benefits of Animal Testing

Despite several claims made against animal testing procedures, the benefits of animals testing are quite notable. The first benefit is that since the beginning of medical research activities, animal testing has resulted in uncountable vital discoveries that enhanced medical services to humans. About 90% of the world's greatest medical researchers confirmed that animal specimens facilitated their success in medical findings. Also, animal research not only helps to improve human health but also improves the animals' health and assists veterinary doctors to treat and cure numerous animal diseases. Medical professionals perfect their services on animals before embarking to handle human beings, (Razel S. Pumps, pg.1). This minimizes the chances of medicinal damages that can turn fatal during medical procedures hence protecting human life. Due to the research of mice to find treatment for cancer, researchers have been able to make significant developments towards the treatment of this deadly disease that has been subjecting humans to unbearable sufferings. According to statistics, cancer survival rates have continued to increase on a gradual not, and this is attributed to the use of animals for testing.

Why Should Animal Testing Be Abolished?

There are various reasons why the use of animals for testing should be abolished and replaced with other alternatives. Despite the proponents of animal testing arguing that the practices are for a good cause, the opponents stress that the fact that these animals show negative emotions is a substantial reason to stop harming them. Animals cry and show discomfort during the practices of animal testing thus making a conclusion that they are adversely affected. Even though animals are way below humans in the natural chain of life, this fact does not give us any right to harm animals, and it is only logical to treat them like living organisms. It is unfortunate that a high population of animals succumbs to the effects of testing despite the benefits that they make on human health.

Religion and Animal Testing

God allowed human beings to feed on animals and had no problem with us using animals for a good cause. Therefore, it is unacceptable to misuse animals in irrelevant research and subject them to unnecessary pain. The majority of institutions that use animals for testing end up making discoveries that do not benefit both humans and animals, (Ian Murnaghan, pg.2). Using animal testing for pleasure is something that all people should come out and stand against it to save our animals.

Does Animal Testing Save More Lifes Than It Kill?

There are numerous claims that success in animal experimentation does not equate to human safety since humans are naturally unique from animals. To support these allegations, the illustration of the Thalidomide test used pregnant mice, guinea pigs, and pregnant rats to test for effects of the substance on pregnant animals. The scientists ascertained that the drug did not affect pregnancy, however, upon use on pregnant women, the drug affected about ten thousand expectant women and led to severe deformities on the unborn babies. Also, the use of primates in search for HIV/AIDS cure did not bear any relevant results during uncountable tests. The other challenge in the animal test is that it can be misleading to researchers. For instance, the common drug used in human surgical Aspirin was almost rejected for human use as it had proved fatal to animals. The majority of pharmaceutical researchers proposed for it to be archived and not be tried on humans. However, it is surprising that it is the most embraced drug by surgeons and it is commonly used to minimize the risks of organ transplants being rejected by the recipients' antigens. The other sensitive argument is that the animals used for research are often subjected to harsh conditions and that their animal rights are frequently infringed. Many research institutions tend to violate animals rights hence ruining the reputation of the entire research fraternity. For instance, rabbits are clipped for days leading to discomfort and eye injuries.

Alternatives to Animal Testing

There are numerous alternatives to animal experiments and more suitable in tests for human medicines. For instance, instead of subjecting a healthy rabbit to extreme scientific torture during researching eye diseases, there is the option of using the actual human eye from dead people to make accurate discoveries. Researchers can use real human tissue in tube test procedures to carry out research for better findings. Also, researchers can study the human eye and develop more suitable specimens that will aid them in their research procedures rather than destructing animal life. Computer models have the capacity to predict the effectiveness of certain substances in treating human diseases and are way better than animal testing. According to Animal Welfare Protection Act (AWPA), a lot of animal lives are wasted in scientific laboratories as their fates are sealed the moment they are captured for research purposes, (Chris Hayhurst, pg.2). Even after successful research findings, animal specimens are killed to prevent them from infecting other animals and humans as well.

Why Should Animal Testing Be Abolished?

To briefly state the reasons why the animal practice should be abolished, the practice is hazardous to animal health and affect their existence. Many research institutions infringe on animal rights and disregard them as inferior living organisms. Just because all Nobel Laureate Medical Winners attribute their successful research to animal testing does not give researchers the right to continue harming animals. Several alternatives are more appropriate for researchers, hence, animals should be spared to enjoy their life existences. Apparently, the cons of animal testing outweigh the pros of these practices hence making it only logical to abolish animal testing and refrain from causing harm to these creatures. God gave human beings the obligation to take care of His creation and so should we. Let's abolish animal testing and help conserve animal lives for a better cause.

References

Books

Judson, Karen. Animal Testing. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2006. Print.

Hayhurst, Chris. Animal Testing: The Animal Rights Debate. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2000. Print.

Journals

Pumps, Razel Syringe. "Integral Pros and Cons of Animal Experimentation." ConnectUs. Web. 5 May 2016.

Dell, Ralph B. "Use of Animals in Scientific Research, Education, and Testing." Loss, Grief & Care 8.3-4 (2000): 37-40. Web.Murnaghan, Ian. "Using Animals for Testing...