The Ethical Research of Animal Testing

Argumentative Topics The Ethical Research of Animal Testing Name Animal testing has been a hot topic of discussion in society for many years. The debate is whether or not animal testing should be allowed. Some people believe that animal testing is wrong and that it causes undue harm to animals. Throughout the last 150 years, the practice of using animals for research has been under intense scrutiny between animal activists and researchers.

Scientists insist that the experimental research they do is essential for producing effective drugs, and the animal rights activists believe that testing animals for advancements in medicine is not necessary. I believe that research using animals should continue as long as there is a reason for it to continue. Thanks to animal based research, to date millions of human lives have been saved. Animal testing is the only way to find out if vaccinations work for different diseases. We cannot just ask people off the streets to volunteer, as that would be morally and ethically wrong.

At this time, scientific researchers have no alternatives for testing new drugs, as scientific computer modules can only do so much for testing. Also, the government has strong laws in place to ensure the health and welfare of test animals. As long as there is disease and sickness in the world, scientists will always be looking for the next cure and treatment options, so we will always need to have animal research. As long as the animals are treated humanely, I believe that it would be inhumane to the human race to stop animal research.

Thanks to animal research, the advancements in disease control have been beneficial and should be able to continue in the future. Although animal research has saved thousands of human lives, it has remained a major controversy for several years even though scientific researchers have tried to ensure the well being of animals. Animal rights activists still deem it inhumane, even though there are strict laws forbidding the inhumane treatment toward animals. Inhumane or not, thanks to the research of animals, scientists have been able to cure many diseases throughout the world, saving millions of human lives.

Thanks to the advances of medical technology due to animal research, the research of animals should be able to continue. Stopping animal research would be inhumane to the human race. At this time, scientists have not come up with an alternative to testing drugs on animals. They do have computer simulators, but this technology can only do so much. It is not an advanced enough system to determine if the new medical breakthroughs will work. In the 1960’s, it was discovered that animal research had taken a dark turn, and that scientists were mistreating animals and causing unnecessary harm.

Congress later passed a bill called The Laboratory Animal Welfare Act of 1966, which states that it is essential that the welfare of animals being test is the main priority. It is required that animals being tested are to be treated with respect and given the best treatment possible, however; realizing that they are not human. At this time, there are roughly 50 million animals in case studies in the United States, and there are protesting lobbyists that are trying to eliminate animal case studies all together. The problem today is the difference between the medical treatment of humans and the wellbeing of animals.

Nowadays, people worry about the welfare of animals until they need the benefits of the medicine that is developed because of animal research. Most people only worry about animals being tested when it is convenient for them. People like to think of themselves as better than that, and animal testing being an unkind and unfavorable act of cruelty. When medical science is needed, it is then that the benefits are welcomed and testing of animals is forgotten. Most people realize that they would rather see an animal be tested on than a child or loved one.

Being as it is, if an epidemic did come to be, humans are more likely to side with humans than animals, always putting their own interests above anyone else’s. Thanks to animal research, there has been much medical advancement, such as the discoveries of treatment for polio, emboli, and insulin for diabetes. In the 1950’s, polio ravaged the American public, with its debilitating illness, but thanks to animal research a cure was found. American scientists did extensive research on animals, giving the animals that were tested the polio virus and then curing it.

No harm came to the animals involved. Thanks to this research, today there is not a case of polio in the United States. Furthermore, thanks to the scientific study of animals, a treatment for diabetes was discovered by finding a way to get insulin into the cells of humans. These discoveries would not have happened if animal research did not exist, and millions of people would have died as a consequence of it. Researchers continue to find cures for illnesses, and further the advancement of medical technology because of animal testing.

People and animals share a similar anatomy so it is easy to see why we share similar diseases, and why treatment should be tested on animals first. By testing animals first, scientists can determine if the new drug is safe for human ingestion. If animal testing were to be banned, how would we be able to find out if new medical technology works? Would we just test on willing participates and see what happens? This would never be accepted by the public or government. No one ever said eating a piece of chicken was wrong even though everyone knows the living conditions chickens endure.

They live their whole lives in a little cage in a factory or on a farm until they are all dried up. Then they are killed and served up at McDonalds or Burger King, but there’s no conservancy there. The reason people eat meat is because of the many benefits of meat, with all the nutrients and vitamins to grow healthy and strong. We have used animals in this nature since the beginning of time to eat, keep warm, to build, and to wear. Through all these things we use animals and it is ok. We can go into the forest and shoot and kill animals for sport, but it is wrong to use them for medical purposes.

In conclusion, we should show animals the respect they deserve. They have been one of the main sources of human survival since the beginning of time. We need to ensure they are treated with admiration and value. No person should ever treat an animal with disrespect or cruelty, for they are one of the reasons people are on this earth today. Animals are not things for people just to play with and disregard when they are done with them. They are creatures that deserve to be cared for, but not at the expense of the human race. Animals should have the right to thrive, grow, and live a painless life.

This should be our tribute to animals for all they do for people. This does not mean that they should have the rights that people have. Regarding animal testing, it is clear that there are two sides of the story, but what side is the right side? This is a personal decision that needs to be seriously considered. The human benefits of animal research discoveries have saved the lives of millions of people, and these treatments would have never been possible without the testing of animals. References Holley, K. (Aug 2009). Animal research practices and doctoral student identity development in a scientific community. In Education Research Complete. Retrieved 26 Sept, 2012, from. http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail. United States Department of Agriculture. Last Retrieved (Sept 21, 2012). United States Department of Agiculture, National Agriculture Library. In undefined, Retrieved Sept 26, 2012, from http: //awic. nal. usda. gov/research-animals. Burnett, C. (March 2009). Should animals continue to be used in research Education Research Complete? In Humane Education Representative, Animals Australia Inc. Retrieved Sept 26, 2012, from. http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/details.