Introduction
The animal testing problem raises the question of whether it is ethical and necessary. It has been done for years by scientists and physicians. From testing cosmetics to biomedical studies, they claim that animal testing provides people with opportunities to save lives or satisfy their needs for specific products. Although there is a belief that animals are the best for testing treatments and drugs for people, they are deliberately harmed in the laboratories.
Animal Testing Issue
Animal testing has already played a significant role in the medical and biomedical fields. Evidently, “animals are used to develop medical treatments, determine the toxicity of medications, check the safety of products destined for human use, and other biomedical, commercial, and health care uses” (What is). Hence, animal testing provides both people and pets with cure and treatment. On the other hand, people have no right to view animals as inferior to humans. Additionally, according to Kooijman et al., animal-free testing became available since the 1980s. Moreover, in 1981, CAAT (The Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing) was founded (Goldberg et al.). Nevertheless, there are still numerous defendants of this cruel scientific research method.
The definition of animal testing is as follows: it is “any scientific experiment or test in which a live animal is forced to undergo something likely to cause them pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm” (ProCon.org). Hence, the given definition itself implies animals suffering at the whim of a man. Moreover, the vast majority of animal tests are recognized to be very costly and give misleading findings (Animal Testing). The future of biomedical and medical science should avoid relying on animal testing.
Conclusion
While science tries to justify animal testing, society should care about the treatment of animals. In fact, no pros are excusing the cons of animal testing. Technical advances have reached the frontline where in silico and in vitro methods are more grounded. Additionally, the economic issue began to influence the animal testing issue. While animal testing is a significant social concern, some alternative ways of testing should be invested in.
Works Cited
“Animal Testing and Its Alternatives – The Most Important Omics Is Economics.” ALTEX, vol. 35, no. 3, 2018, pp. 275-305.
Goldberg, Alan, et al. “The Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing in the USA and Europe.” History of Toxicology and Environmental Health, 2019, pp. 109-117.
Kooijman, Marlous, et al. “How Institutional Logics Hamper Innovation: The Case of Animal Testing.” Technological Forecasting and Social Change, vol. 118, 2017, pp. 70-79.
ProCon.org. “Should Animals Be Used for Scientific or Commercial Testing?” ProCon. 2020. Web.
“What Is Animal Testing?” Cruelty Free International. 2020. Web.