THE PROS AND CONS OF ANIMAL TESTING

Imagine your favorite house pet and a random human were in a burning house. They were both unconscious and you can only save one life. Which one would you choose? 

Animal testing has developed into a controversial topic. It has saved many lives, by testing vaccines, medical products and more. However, animals are dying, and many suffer from oral force-feeding, forced inhalation, exposure to dangerous chemicals, and more.

 Pros

1. Animal testing has shown researchers how to treat various medical conditions and diseases. We have found treatment for high blood pressure, diabetes, tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s disease. According to the Royal Society of Biology,”Research using animals has directly contributed to medical and veterinary benefits including development of vaccines, antibiotics, and pioneering medical procedures that save and improve the quality of many human and animal lives.”
2. Animals are the only living things that have similar genetic systems and bodies as humans. According to Mieke Louwe, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Research Institute of Internal Medicine, “One reason is that there are no alternative methods that can mimic the whole human body. For instance, studying how cancer spreads from one part of the body to another is impossible with current alternatives.”

Cons

1. Animal experiments do not accurately model how drugs, chemicals, and treatments work in the human body. There is a great deal of difference between humans and animals and, therefore, they react differently.According to Humane Society International, animals used in experiments are commonly subjected to force-feeding, food and water deprivation, the infliction of burns and other wounds to study the healing process, the infliction of pain to study its effects and remedies, and ‘“killing by carbon dioxide asphyxiation, neck-breaking, decapitation, or other means.’”
2. The process of conducting animal experiments is time-consuming and expensive. According to ProCon.org, “Animal tests on the arthritis drug Vioxx showed that it had a protective effect on the hearts of mice, yet the drug went on to cause more than 27,000 heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths before being pulled from the market.”