The Pros And Cons Of Animal Experimentation

As early as the third century B.C., Erasistratus of Alexandria recorded the

mutilation of live animals to study the body humors (Siegel-Maier, pg.1). Animal testing, experimentation, or research is the use of animals to substitute humans in testing various medicines. Animal Experimentation is a very controversial topic. This topic is commonly argued because it mostly involves animal rights and the research to possibly better the future for human beings. There is a wide variety of opinions and views toward both sides of animal experimentation. This paper supports both sides of the argument with favor toward continuance and advancement of animal experimentation.

The issue of whether animal experimentation should be a method of research has
“Researchers believe animal use is justified because of its implications for both health applications and the accumulations of new knowledge, activists believe much research is trivial or inhumane.” Animal Research Committees have been created by the National Institutes of Health and US Government to protect the welfare of animals used in research. “The proposed regulations were the result of many hours of consultation with science, agriculture, and welfare organizations.” But, while creating these committees, no one asked brain-injured individuals and their families about this research, and the university administration did not come to their defense. The stopping of such behavioral and physiological experiments will condemn many brain- and spinal cord-injured humans to a restrictive life of continued confinement and dependency. Such a policy is truly inhumane. Scientists using straight facts and results are no match for the gory photos of “animal torture” antivivisectionists show. There are many different alternatives to animal experimentation such as using embryos. The problem with this is that most studies involving mammalian embryos, the mother is needed and involved in the study. This can not be avoided for most testing. Plus, many of the studies require the embryo to be close to birth or hatching. The advanced
At the expense of abundant animals such as mice and rats, we are able to help and save human lives. The life of a human is worth far more than that of a rat. If we continue animal testing and let it grow, we can better the chance for survival for both human beings and animals. People who make this decision should not decide by their personal thoughts, but by the experience of those who are sick and need to find a medicine to save them or better their state of living. There are a lot of alternative idea to animal research, but none of which will fully substitute without restriction. Animals and humans are biologically very similar. For this reason, drugs and treatments that are effective on one will usually be effective on the other. Due to this fact, since using humans for medical research would be unethical, animals are generally used. Testing drugs and treatments on animals can determine if they are safe and effective. Testing on humans would be very dangerous as lives could be lost due to unpredicted effects of the drug. Animal experimentation has led to the breast cancer. drug Herceptin as well as improved radiation therapy for cancer patients. In addition to testing drugs and treatments on animals, theories can also be