A Big No for Animal Testing

Nowadays, it seems that we are not unfamiliar anymore with the terms animal testing. Animal testing refers to the experimentation carried out animals. It is used to assess the safety and effectiveness of everything from medication to cosmetics, as well as understanding body how the human body works (Anonymous, 2011). Animals here are used to ensure the products are safe for the use of humans. At one side, animal testing has been successfully developed new and effective medical treatments, yet, on the other side, some of the test that these animals subjected to are very painful and cruel. Thus there are some people who support this animal testing because animals are appropriate research subjects because they are similar to human beings and it is fine since animals do not have rights, however, some stronger arguments standing in believe that animal testing should be banned because animals are killed or kept in captivity and it does not reliably predict result in human beings.

            The first reason why we should ban animal testing is because it kills animals and keeps animals in captivity. According to Humane Society International, animals used in experiments are commonly subjected to force feeding, forced inhalation, food and water deprivation, prolonged periods of physical restraint, 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” (Anonymous, 2015). Furthermore, The Animal Welfare Act, or AWA does not cover rats, mice, fish and birds, which comprise around 95% of the animals used in research.  These animals are especially vulnerable and more likely to be mistreated and abused without the protection of the AWA. That is why, if we keep conducting animal testing, it will be a violation of the life rights of those animals.

            The second reason why animal testing should be forbidden is because it does not reliably predict result in human beings. There is also the argument that the reaction of a drug in animal’s body is quite different from the reaction in a human. The strongest reason supporting this idea is that the animals may feel under pressure and under stressed if they are in an unnatural environment. In this rate, they will not react to the drugs in the same way than if we compare to their potential reactionin a natural environment. It weakens the validity of animal experimentation. Aysha Akhtar, a neurologist stated that over 100 stroke drugs that were effective when tested on animals have failed in humans, and over 85 HIV vaccines failed in humans after working well in non-human primates. This data shows that animal testing is not reliable for human. It can cause dangerous effect for sure.

            Responding to the negative side that disagrees with the conduction of animal testing, there are also some arguments that support this idea. People may state that First, people may state that animal testing is fine since animals are appropriate research subjects because they are similar to human beings in many ways, but this idea is really absurd. Human and animals have different anatomic, metabolic, and cellular. It indicates that animals poor models for human beings. Paul Furlong, Professor of Clinical Neuroimaging at Aston University stated that it is hard to create an animal model that even equates closely to what we are trying to achieve in the human. Furthermore, like what have been explained before, animal test do not reliably predict results in human beings. Second, people may state that animals do not have right, yet once again, this idea is nonsense. Every living thing in this whole world has right. No matter who or what, they still have to be protected and have the right to continue living. Thus, it is so unfair and rude to say that animals do not have rights to continue living.

            All in all, why animal testing should be banned is supported by some strong arguments, such as because animals are killed or kept in captivity and it does not reliably predict result in human beings. Yet, some people have a different perception responding to this issue. They state that animal testing is essential because animals are appropriate research subjects because they are similar to human beings and it is fine since animals do not have rights. However, if we take a really good look, animal testing is really harmful from many different aspects. Thus, animal testing should be banned since it causes bad impacts.

References:

animal-testing.procon.org

www.aboutanimaltesting.co.uk/what-animal-testing.html

PALUPI SEKAR APSARI

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ACADEMIC ARGUMENTATIVE