Throughout my lifetime I have heard activists protest against animal testing and I have heard others advocate for it. Today, I decided that I wanted to get some facts and based on the science aspect of it see if animal testing is necessary or if it in fact is a form of socially accepted animal cruelty.
According to the Humane Society International; a campaigning website against animal testing; defined animal testing as being a process in which live animals are tested upon in order to determine the effects that certain products will have on humans or for scientific purposes. They also stated that animals are tested upon for a variety of different research studies. These studies range from cosmetic testing to pharmaceutical product testing. These animals are tested upon and once the experiment is over they can either be transferred onto another study or they can be killed. I am assuming that the route scientist choose to take for the animals at this point is relevant to the effects each animal has been exposed to and whether or not those will interfere with the new study.
As I tried to find research as to how animal testing would be justified, I could not seem to find any articles, studies, or websites advocating for it. Perhaps this is because in the more recent years, organizations like PETA , have made it their goal to bring awareness to how cruelly we treat animals as a society, under the excuse that it is justified through science.
According once again to Humane Society International, they stated that we do not benefit much from research experiments done on animals therefore there is really no excuse as to why it should continue. Which in part, does make sense to me. We live in a world that is so advanced. We have been able to develop working mobile prosthetics and have sent men to the moon yet we still test what effects things will have on humans on animals. Animal testing has been a helping factor in a multitude of studies, however as stated in this video by the Humane Society International, there are alternatives for animal testing. We should be looking more into alternatives to testing out our pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and household objects. We already have so many regulations as to what can and can not be used in products therefore I feel as though any further testing can be done alternatively. There are laws protecting animals against abuse yet none protecting them against abuse in the field of science. When animals are used as experiments they are put through distress and physical pain in order to gain information on a product. As we relevantly discussed in class about cancer research patient and treatments, if it is not morally acceptable to withhold a product that will knowingly cure someone then why is it morally acceptable to harm an animal in hopes of discovering a cure or effect of something else?
The thought of animal testing truly makes me nauseous. Finding out that we do not even benefit that much from the testing angers me even more. It is amazing realizing how advanced we are yet still testing on animals. I agree with everything you spoke about in this post.
I agree, it makes me nauseous as well but it is something that goes on often. Make up companies and cleaning supply companies test their products on animals even though they are not related to the purpose these products will serve in the future. It is quit disturbing to think that an animal was harmed in the making of our perfect shade of lipstick. I believe with how advanced our science is now a days, we should be able to test and experiment on other things. Not living preferably.