Problems With Animal Testing

Animal testing is the use of animals by organizations, such as universities and pharmaceutical companies, for research experiments. Animal testing is done to test new drugs, learn how to fight certain diseases, make household products and develop cosmetics. Critics of animal testing argue that it causes animals unnecessary pain without always producing valid results. Also, animal testing takes animals away from their natural life. Many animals used for testing are bred specifically for that purpose.

  1. Pain and Euthanasia

    • According to an article by Heaven Stubblefield in Medical Science, many animals used for research are euthanized after testing. Euthanasia is used to end the suffering received by animals throughout the testing process. Researchers sometimes base an animal's condition on the animal's appearance and behavior. Critics of animal testing question the morality of breeding animals simply to die after a painful testing process. Huntington Life Sciences, one of the world's largest contract research organizations, claims on its website that its researchers respect the needs of animals subjected to testing. Despite this claim, there is still the question of why animal testing has to often inflict on animals pain so extreme that it calls for many of them to be euthanized.

    Cosmetic Industry

    • Make up and soap are the two types of products most often derived from animal testing. Rabbits are popular for use for cosmetic testing and often subject to painful eye and skin irritant tests. According to the Uncaged Animal Protection Organization, popular cosmetic brands known to test on animals include Unilever, L'Oreal, Johnson &Johnson, SC Johnson and more. Critics of the cosmetic industry's use of animals for product testing argue that the pain inflicted on innocent animals is not worth the benefit of corporate profit and a better appearance. Also called into question is the use of animals to determine the toxicity levels of products. Some makers of soaps and detergents have used animal testing not to make their products any less deadly if accidentally ingested but solely to determine level of toxicity associated with certain products.

    Validity of Animal Testing

    • Aside from the moral issues involved with animal testing, there is the question of how valid animal testing for product development or medical research always is. According to an argument made by the National Anti-Vivisection Society, animals are not predictive for human response. Humans may not always respond the same way to a drug or medical treatment as animals were shown to do. As the debate over the morality and validity of animal testing continues, new methods to replace animal testing in laboratories are gaining ground. John Hopkins University has established the John Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing seeking to reduce the number of animals tested on.