Do you think it is ever justified? Lets say youve bought a can of insect repellant at the store. But its unlikely that animal experimentation would help their child much: other methods are likely more fruitful. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the blogs do not necessarily reflect those of Sather Health. Many of the most important medical advances are attributable to human studies. Our study also revealed that drug tests on monkeys are just as poor as those using any other species in predicting the effects on humans. They dont contribute meaningfully to medical advances, and many are performed simply so that experimenters have something to publish about, offering no promise for curing illnesses. In some cases, many of the substances tested may never even see approval of public consumption and use; thus, these animals may have undergone such treatment in vain, seeing that no direct benefit to humans occurred. Manage Settings Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. It seems that the only reason it still exists in such popularity is . While it may make sense to use animal experiments from time to time since there are simply no other alternatives, those experiments may not be justifiable on a large scale. Animal experiments last a long time too, which adds to the overall cost. Researchers often come to several different conclusions regarding the safety and the effectiveness of certain drugs on humans and therefore, the results from animal experiments should be taken with great care in order to avoid serious health issues for humans. Some diseases and health problems involve processes . Even though animals share many similar characteristics with humans, the results that are obtained in those animal tests are not transferrable to humans 1:1. And according to cell biologist Robin Lovell-Badge of the MRC National Institute for Medical Research in London, 94 percent of drugs that passed tests in animals failed in people. The previous analysis has shown that are several advantages related to animal testing. The Act leaves out over 25 million animals at risk of abuse and neglect yearly. Testing on animals is unethical. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. As technology moves forward, there is less and less need for animal experimentation. So, which side has the right idea? In short, they are their own people and they dont consent to being tortured and killed in laboratories. Apart from the ethical concerns related to animal experimentation, there are also some financial problems related to animal research. Here are just a few of the myriad reasons why many people believe it's time to end this practice. You may argue that computer models have made tremendous advancements. Before medical products are approved for the mass market, plenty of research and testing must be done to ensure theyre safe for use. In fact, many medicines that have been successfully tested on animals have failed to deliver proper results for humans. aims to reduce the amount of studies that involve mammal testing by 30 percent by 2025. After finishing university, I traveled around the world. Recently we were able to see an impressive lecture from Manchester University about the pros and cons of animal testing and also animal rights. Find all our Student Opinion questions here. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'environmental_conscience_com-leader-2','ezslot_10',190,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-leader-2-0');The findings that we can get from animal testing are not only useful for humans, they can also help to treat other animals. Further, new medicines can help animals too, since breakthroughs in veterinary medicine have also occurred due to animal experimentation. Animal experimentation has been done for many decades or even centuries. Even if something is necessary and there are no alternatives to doing it to achieve a particular end, that doesnt make doing the action right: the end determines that. Continue with Recommended Cookies, The only animals that we test on are the two of us and our kids.. We actively campaign to get animals out of laboratoriesand win. has for decades required testing on a variety of animals including rats, dogs, birds and fish to gauge their toxicity before the chemicals can be bought, sold or used in the environment. This is why such animals get affected by the same diseases and health conditions as us. Moreover, animal testing has also been instrumental in saving endangered species from extinction. Why? Thus, animal research may significantly help us humans to further improve our medical knowledge and our treatment methods over time. And there is scientific evidence that animal testing often is not beneficial for humans and that clinical research, public health research, and technology-based research are more useful: see the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and Americans for Medical Advancement for more information. A reason for this, other than genetic makeup, is that the animals are kept in an unnatural environment (the laboratory) that places them under stress, which may alter their response. Animal testing is necessary for medical development. However, we might be able to use our current research findings in order to apply them to potential diseases in the future. This is especially true for people who live in the poor part of our planet since they often do not have access to proper medical treatment or simply cannot afford it. These Food and Drink Companies Refuse to Test on Animals. They don't have a voice . Pandemics pose a serious risk to humanity since if countries spread across borders, millions of people can die from it.