Animal Testing (Controversial Topics #1)
Animal testing is still a big topic in many animal rights discussions. It has been an issue since a long, long time and it can’t be resolved easily.
Most people are very emotional when it comes to animal abuse and I totally understand that. I don’t like watching animals suffering either. But you know what I like even less? Humans suffering and dying.
It is selfish, in a way. Maybe hypocritical. I eat meat but I want the animals to be as happy as possible until their death. And to me, animal testing is a similar topic.
It is absolutely unacceptable to use animals to test products that are unnecessary for human survival, like make-up or body lotions. That is just as cruel as keeping hundreds of thousands of animals in a cramped space, pumping them full of hormones and antibiotics and then killing them for our food. Both should be illegal.
But cosmetics aren’t the only thing that is tested on animals. Medication needs testing too and it is where I draw the line between animal cruelty and necessary research. Yes, you can test medication in cell cultures and do simulations. But how it will behave in a living organism, that is often unpredictable without testing it. Many animals, especially mice, die in the name of saving a human life.
Is a human life worth more than that of an animal? Maybe. I think so, you might not. Is it fair that animals must die so we can prevent, treat or cure diseases? Of course not. Do I hope that animal testing can be substituted for something else one day? The sooner the better. We are already on a good path and animals are needed less and less.
But until we find a way to develop medication without the help of any lab animals, there is no other choice. The only thing that can be influenced at the moment is how we treat the animals that serve us. And you can be sure that I will treat every lab animal I encounter with a maximal amount of respect.
I just hope that other scientists do that too.
More info on the topic (Pro and Contra):
Should Animals Be Used for Scientific or Commercial Testing?
Why Are Animals Necessary in Biomedical Research?
Why animal research is still necessary
”Controversial Topics” is a series where I give my opinion on things from the scientific, usually biological, world. If you want to hear my opinion on something specific, leave a comment!
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Thanks for the topic, @suesa. I believe that much testing of medications is unnecessary too, however. Most chronic diseases are preventable through healthy eating and other healthy lifestyle practices (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, most cancers, arthritis, many neurological disorders, HIV). Should animals suffer because of ignorant humans? There are very few drugs (antibiotics) that actually cure disease, most others prolong life/suffering somewhat or make people more comfortable, rather than addressing root cause. Makes Big Pharma gobs of $$$ though!
Every disease you mentioned can happen without a bad lifestyle. Should we punish those who try but fail because there are those who don't try?
I agree that some medications are useless, but I'd say it's stuff like viagra, not insulin.
Those cases would be extremely rare. Read about the relationship between infant introduction to cow's milk, lack of Vit D, and diabetes (type I). And how diabetes (type II) can be prevented/treated through plant based diets. What we need is more/better education and better regulation of propaganda and advertising by the food/drug/USDA industries. It would be a long time before we could get to this point, though, if ever. The power of corporate greed is too great.
I agree with @suesa, in that cancers, different types of heart disease, and HIV (this is a virus. Viruses enter your system in ways that have nothing to do with eating healthily, but there's no medication that cures AIDS at this point) all have major genetic components.
I also agree with @innerlight that we need better education on ways we can improve our lives without utilizing medication. Diabetes is a huge problem because the sugar industry has not been upfront about how our sugar intake is linked to acquired Diabetes. I grew up drinking waaayy to much fruit juice because my parents thought it was healthy.
At the same time, I definitely think people can get over the top when they stop realizing how important the feats of scientific research have been in healthcare. HELLLOO, think of all the diseases (Mumps, Measles, Rubella Malaria, Polio, etc) that have become so much rarer in western societies due to the advent of vaccinations. It's a really important thing to realize and to not just shove every medication under the umbrella of "Big Pharma", as if Pharmacy is all one big, dark entity trying to profit off of the gullibility of the world.
I believe I mentioned healthy lifestyle practices which, along with diet would include things like practicing safe sex, not smoking, wearing seatbelts, etc. I cannot think of any type of cancer that is not preventable. Also, there are viruses transmittable via consumption of animal products, and also viruses that can be cleared more quickly from our systems (HPV) through eating plant based. So absolutely diet/lifestyle has an impact on our ability to contract and fight some viruses.
Testing needs to be done to advance humanity, but at what cost? I have a pet hamster and he is surprising intelligent and has the sweetest personality (accept when he bites my fingers).
Nice Post
This comment has received a 0.13 % upvote from @booster thanks to: @hamzaoui.
It's a must to test some animals for medical developments.
Think if we can discover how salamander 's tail is regenerating we can solve the amputation problem :D
I agree that human life has more value than an animal, but I do love animals. I, too, try to eat meat from places that treat their animals well in life.
But I do think that perhaps there is a lot of unnecessary testing - how many drugs do we have that aren't really about saving a life, but only treating a minor symptom that could be treated with diet or lifestyle change?
So I don't think it's as cut-and-dry as saying it's OK to do drug testing on animals. And who regulates the humane treatment of these animals? I'm asking because I honestly don't know if there is anything in place here. I don't trust pharmaceutical companies to do the right thing.
Of course, it's unlikely that every test is necessary and every animal is treated as well as possible. That's why I said that I hope other researchers feel like I do.
On the upside, at least in Germany animal testing laws are so strict and annoying that researchers try to avoid having to use animals whenever possible, just to avoid having to fill out papers.
It's something I guess.
It's good to hear that Germany does that at least! US should follow suit.
A lot of courage expressing your point of view on this delicate subject. I am in that corner where human life is not more important that other animals life but I would prefer to have this tested on anybody to save the people I love. Hyptocrite, I know. When it's about the others is just statistics. It hurts when we are involved.
It is easy to be a hypocrite when it comes to something like this, I think everyone is to a point. Thank you for sharing your opinion!
i m not 100 % against animal testing but i m also not 100% supporting animal testing. Without animal testing a proper drug will never be developed . Its all about trial and error . But i do hope theres another alternative . Perhaps try it on inmates ? ( rape / murder offenses ) that i will support a 100%
All ethical arguments aside, testing it on prisoners would actually be really bad for scientific reasons. All these people have pre-existing conditions and a huge genetic variety. You'd need a lot, A LOT of them to get statistically relevant results.
You'd soon run out of murderers and rapists.
And who's next? Drug dealers? Traffic violators?
I understand where you're coming from but I think we need to look for other ways to get rid of animal testing once and for all
I agree with pills that would save lives being tested on animals , I certainly do not agree for big beauty companies to test their shit lipsticks and cremes on rabbits and such.
Thank you for bringing such a controversial topic to our attention. I have really enjoyed reading the views on here even if I can't completely agree with all of them. Personally I am very much against animal testing however I can see that it is necessary to test SOME medical drugs on animals. I do believe that currently animals are grossly overused, eapecially for cosmetic testing and hope this can be reduced in the future.
i really do think that it is better to loose animals than to lost a human life.... but if there are alternatives we will certainly adapt. Thanks for sharing.
Every living things has equal rights in this world but just for survival we are destroying god creatures