Should Animals Be Used For Scientific Testing?

Scientific researchers, not all use animals for their research and experiments. I personally think that animal testing shouldn’t be used and it should be illegal. My first argument is that there are other alternative testing methods that exist. Another reason I am opposed to animal testing is because animals’ anatomy is very different from humans. My final reason, is that drugs that are tested on animals aren’t 100% safe.


My first argument is that there are alternate ways to test new products besides using them on animals. According to Procon.org, “Alternative testing methods now exist that can replace the need for animals.” There are different ways that exist to test out different products, there is no need to use animals. For example, “In vitro (in glass) testing, such as studying cell cultures in a petri dish, can produce more relevant results than animal testing because human cells can be used.” I believe this is important because instead of using animals you can use actual human cells that can provide very accurate results since they are conducting research to make products made to help humans. Also according to Procon.org “Artificial human skin, such as the commercially available products EpiDerm and ThinCert, is made from sheets of human skin cells grown in test tubes or plastic wells and can produce more useful results than testing chemicals on animal skin.” This is important because instead of harming animals, researchers can make and buy artificial skin that can provide more accurate results.

Another reason I am opposed to animal testing is because animals are very different from humans. Procon.org says “The anatomic, metabolic, and cellular differences between animals and people make animals poor models for human beings.” This is important because since they are so different the results not might be as accurate for humans as it might be for animals. Also according to Paul Furlong, Professor of Clinical Neuroimaging at Aston University, says "it's very hard to create an animal model that even equates closely to what we're trying to achieve in the human." So this is also important because a professor also agrees that animals make poor test subjects because the lack of similarities and the all the difference animals specifically rats and humans.


Lastly, drugs and other products that pass animals tests aren’t necessarily safe. For example, “The 1950s sleeping pill thalidomide, which caused 10,000 babies to be born with severe deformities, was tested on animals prior to its commercial release” This is extremely important because it shows the dramatic effects of a defective product, the product could’ve been useful for animals but since they are different, it can cause serious health problems. Another example Procon.org pointed out is “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.” This is also important because again it shows how it can seriously affect humans. Animals make poor test subjects because products affect them differently.



Some people can argue that animal research is have to follow some laws that prevent mistreatment. But did you know that about 95% of animals aren't under these "laws". For example, according to procon.org, "The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) does not cover rats, mice, fish and birds which comprise 95% of the animals used in research" This is important because if these animals are used in experiments, chances are they will get harmed since they aren't protected by the AWA. Also procon.org says "The AWA coverd 1,134,693 animals used for testing in fiscal year 2010, which leaves around 25 million animals not coverd. This is important because that leaves 25 million chances and animals to be mistreated and possibly death. If scientist have the opportunity to to harm these animals to further their research, they'll take advantage of it.

In conclusion, I still stand with my position that testing products should be illegal because it doesn’t produce results accurate enough to be used on humans. A lot of people have been seriously hurt by these animal tests. These are my reasons why they should stop animal testing, it doesn’t only hurt the animals but it hurts us too.