Researchers put innocent mice’s tails in hot water and attached them to clips, injected chemicals causing abdominal constriction, put irritants into their feet, and performed even more torture to these poor, defenseless animals. Scientists did all this just to see if mice conveyed pain with a facial expression (which they do) or not. However, animal experimentation can be for very noble causes as well. A biology professor studies breast cancer and uses mice to do so, with multiple animal rights activists against her research. It was a calm Sunday afternoon at her home one day when their family was celebrating one of her kids’ birthdays. Suddenly, people started aggressively banging on her door. While she and her children hid in fear, her husband went to sort out the situation. As he opened the door, the animal rights attackers violently hit his hand and then ran to their car and drove away.
Animal testing has two completely different sides to it, and there are extremists both ways. On one hand, animals for certain feel pain and can be severely mistreated when being experimented on. However, many scientific advances are due in large part to animal testing, such as chemotherapy, which saves so many lives every year. No matter which side is better or if there should be a combination of both, this is a serious problem that needs to be addressed by the government. There has to be a solution worked out, even if only temporary, because as shown by both of the narratives above, animals including humans are being hurt physically and mentally.
Every year the support of animal testing has been decreasing. You can probably think of why. More than 100 million animals are killed due to animal experimentation. There are animal testing where they’re being tortured. They deprive things that are natural to them, where they are isolated in cages and traumatized from the experiments. Some creatures are forced to inhale chemicals, deprived from food and water, and do not receive anesthesia while being tested on. These vulnerable animals are used like objects instead of living creatures who have emotions, just like us. Scientists have found out that there is actually very differences between humans and animals. Nine out of ten candidate medicines that seem safe in animals actually fail when used on humans. This wastes resources, risks the safety of people in clinical trials, and the animals could of been free, instead of being tested on.
On the other hand, animal testing contributed to many cures and treatments. Thanks to the experiments, many diseases that used to kill millions of people are now treatable. It has played a vital role for medical research because without it, there would not be as many breakthroughs and advancements as there is now. From vaccines to chemotherapy, antibiotics, anesthesia, transplants, and more; it has all been found from animal testing. Without it, our understanding on how our body works and disease would be decreased and millions of people and animals would be dead from hundreds of diseases. Animals have also benefited from it, not only human beings. There are many drugs for animals, that were first tested on animals. There is a chance that we might not even be alive if it wasn’t for animal testing.