Putting Their Life To The Test | Teen Ink

Putting Their Life To The Test

January 29, 2013
By Maddie Sassoon BRONZE, Scotch Plains, New Jersey
Maddie Sassoon BRONZE, Scotch Plains, New Jersey
3 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Waking up in the morning, everyone brushes their teeth, uses soap, shampoo, and lotion without a second thought. According to animaltestingfacts.zoomshare.com, each year in the United States, seventy million animals are maimed, blinded, scalded, force fed chemicals, and otherwise hurt from testing products on animals. The toothpaste that you used this morning was previously tested on innocent animals, to make sure it was safe for you to brush your teeth with. The animal that was tested on could have been in excruciating pain for weeks on end, or even worse have died. It is extremely wrong for personal care companies to test their products on animals, before it is sold to humans.

In simplest terms, animal testing is completely cruel. Animals do not have the ability to communicate in a way humans understand, making them helpless. They cannot speak up for themselves, they can only endure the horrible pain scientists afflict upon them. We cannot prejudice them just because we do not understand their means of communication. 50% of animals used in cosmetic testing, die within three weeks of the experiment (do something.org). This 50% could have been your dog if you had not rescued him or her from a shelter. For this reason, it is crucial that animal testing ceases, to bring down the 50% of dying animals to a much-improved 0%.

Like any other personal care company, it is important to make sure their products are safe for use before they are put on the market. These companies believe that animal testing is the only way to try out their products to insure nobody will get hurt. Although, what they fail to know is that these products rarely make it in the outside world. According to the Food and Drug Administration, 92% of pharmaceuticals that pass the animal testing stage are eventually abandoned. This means that the harsh tests that animals are forced to experience, barely even make a footprint in sales in the end. They end up being the product that stays at the back of the shelves, when everything else is sold out. Animals are dying, for absolutely no reason at all. Not only is animal testing barbaric, it is usually completely useless when the product is almost never purchased.

One could argue, that these tests are generally performed on mice, rats or other rodents. It is also valid to think that if someone were to use a makeup product for instance, it might cause them some sort of harm if it is not tested beforehand. They argue that nobody wants those animals as pets, or even around, so it does not matter what is done to them. This may be true; however, if there are no more rodents, then the animals that feed on them for a living will no longer exist. This chain will continue on and on, if this treacherous act does not stop. In addition, people are misinformed that there actually is a percentage of dogs, cats, rabbits and other household animals that are injured, and many times even killed in these torturous tests. Rodents have the same feelings that your dog may have, even though they are small. They still feel sad, alone, and most definitely hurt just like any other animal. There is absolutely no reason why a different form of testing products should not be used, especially in this day in age.

It is apparent that animal testing is heartless, and is barely productive to personal care companies. Mice, cats, gerbils, dogs, and hamsters die every day just so products can be placed on store shelves. How would you feel if you knew that almost every product you used was tested on a blameless animal before you utilized it? Not only do half of the animals that are tested on die, but also the process is plainly unproductive since most of the products end up abandoned. The animals that are disrespected in these tests, must receive the same empathy that more commonly loved animals receive. Mice, rats and other rodents may be more unkempt than for instance, a dog, but they are still living things and deserve the same amount of reverence as any other animal. Brutal animal testing cannot continue if the world has any hope of becoming a better place to live. After all, animals were here long before us, so they deserve a safe place to thrive.


The author's comments:
Animals are something I am extremely passionate, and I wanted people to realize the just how terrible animal testing really is.

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