Justice for the Animals | Teen Ink

Justice for the Animals

February 26, 2015
By Anonymous

 Animals are undoubtedly found everywhere, as household pets, in zoos, or roaming freely outside, but one would not instinctively place them in research facilities. The side of animal treatment generally publicized to the rest of the world is an unsightly and dangerous side. Beginning in the seventeenth century, scientists began to use animals for scientific research, cosmetic experiments, drug and medication testing, and much more. Animal testing is unjustified due to the multiple accounts of inhumanity present, and it’s inapplicability to the modern research needed.

Animal researchers lead us to believe that animals should be used for testing due to their similar anatomy and internal systems to humans, when in reality, they are nothing alike. Most tests administered are based solely off of human curiosity and are artificially induced, which is unnatural and ineffective in itself when given to species highly unhuman like. For example, “a dog has around 320 bones, while humans have a total of 206.” (Pet365) In addition, we have different amounts of stomach acid, lifespans, heart beats per minute, and other important functional differences. Due to the differences in anatomy, animals and humans do not react the same way to certain tests and drugs. Research from a 2006 Phase 1 clinical study, stated that the antibody “TGN1412” was confirmed safe on animals, but when tested on humans in a “dose 500 times smaller than found safe in animal studies, all six human volunteers faced life-threatening conditions.” (Attarwala, 1) The accounts of different anatomy and lab results prove animal testing to be unjust because it is not one hundred percent beneficial to the research needed to properly account for the human body, after all, humans are the ones utilizing the products. 
Not only is animal testing not advantageous to modern human research, but it is also exceedingly cruel to its experimental subjects. Currently, animals in the United States are allowed to be “burned, shocked, poisoned, isolated, starved, drowned, addicted to drugs, and brain-damaged.” (PETA) All in which result in unnecessary distress, wounds, depression, and other various problematic outcomes, in animals that were unable to give consent to these experiments in the first place. Additionally, the environments animals are tested in are ghastly, including conditions they are in before and during testing. Even though our structuring is different, the level of pain felt is precisely similar. Unshockingly, no painkillers are administered as they endure immense pain, which is even used when humans are experiencing a minor headache. On many accounts, animals used in testing, undergo “stress induced psychosis,” meaning they are being driven crazy. “They experience ongoing mental and physical suffering from the endless boredom, fear, and emotional stress of spending their lives in small, crowded cages, unable to make choices or express natural behaviors and routines such as fresh air and sunshine.” It is shown they encounter “a lack of enrichment, loud noises, and bright lights out of sync with natural lighting.” (NEAVS) Being away from the natural conditions necessary for animals brings injustice because not only are they being unfairly tested on, but they are not held in a place adequate enough for normal living conditions. 
It is argued by many that animal testing is necessary due to the fact that there is no other sufficient alternative. It is debated that our “living systems are extremely complex and studying smaller cell cultures in a petri dish,” or using powerful supercomputers, “doesn’t provide the opportunity to study interrelated processes occurring in the workings of complex organs.” (ProCon) Many people are blindsided to the proven fact that “In vitro testing, such as studying cell cultures or using artificial human skin, can produce more relevant and useful results than animal testing because human cells can be used.” We are also able to utilize “microfluidic chips,” known as organs on a chip, that can “recreate the functions of human organs, in advanced stages of development.” While “computer models, such as virtual reconstructions of human molecular structures, can predict the toxicity of substances without invasive experiments on animals.” (ProCon) It is necessary to understand the more advanced ideas of testing and their valuability and contributions to scientific research because they are the start of a safer and more effective methods of research.


In conclusion, animal testing serves no fully accurate or useful purpose and is unjustified due to the multiple accounts of inhumanity present, and it’s inapplicability to the modern research needed. It is unnecessarily harmful to innocent animals and deprives them of their natural and instinctive needs. Without being continuously beneficial to all humans and animals, testing like this should be reverted to newer, more accurate practices. This proves that animals and humans experience similar reactions to suffering although it may be ignored.


The author's comments:

Essay written to highlight the unjust and cruel aspects of animal testing. 


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