Why Animal Testing Is Necessary

Animal Testing is Necessary “Animal research and testing has played a part in almost every medical breakthrough of the last century. It has saved hundreds of millions of lives worldwide.” Joan Ryan. When most people think of animal testing, they usually think about injured, blinded animals that they have seen in pictures online or on TV. After seeing just a few of those images, most people are quick to side with banning animal testing. However what most people do not realize is how much animal testing has helped advance medicine. Many people are alive today because of the medicine made with the information scientists have found through testing animals. The reasons for animal testing include things such as: animals and humans have similar
Another argument against animal testing is that there are computer programs that can simulate the effects of medicines and diseases in the human body. Computers can use human cells to replicate a human body, which would make testing more accurate. It would be like testing on a human, however there is no harm being done to a human or an animal (Gericke). Computer programs may be able to replicate diseases in human organs, but it cannot replicate the effect the disease will have on the entire body. So for example, if the computer program was to test medicine to help asthma the program would most likely be focused on the lungs or throat. The program would not, however show the effects the medicine might have on other organs. When testing on animals scientists can see the effects of medicine on every part of the animal, making animal testing more accurate and less likely to have unpredictable side effects
Animal testing was a part of the progress of making hip replacement surgery, tetanus vaccine, heart transplants and blood transfusions and much more. Animal testing is able to help medicine advance, because animals and humans have similar genes. Since animals and humans have similar genes, testing on animals make very accurate results. To complete some of these tests animals may have to be put down, but completing these tests have advanced most of our medicine, saving many lives. When these tests are not completed, there is a higher risk of unpredictable side effects and in some cases death. Some scientists believe that using computer programs to do testing is a better and more accurate option that testing on animals. Computer programs can simulate different affects diseases and medicine have on the human body and what kind of effects they will cause. However the computer program cannot simulate how medicines and diseases will affect every organ and part of the body. Technology is always advancing someday computer programs might become advanced enough to replace animal testing, than animals will no longer have to be put at risk for