The Pros & Cons of Product Testing on Animals

Whether or not to test animals for products has been a long debate. Companies argue that animal testing is good for consumers and animal rights advocates argue that animal testing is cruel and unusual. There are both pros and cons to animal testing.

  1. Medications for Human Illnesses

    • One of the pros of animal testing is that it lets scientists discover mediations and treatments for human illnesses. Cancer and HIV patients would lack many treatments options if there was no animal testing. Diabetics would also lack insulin to keep their blood sugar under control. Animal testing is important for improving the health of humans and prolonging their lives.

    Safety of Drugs

    • Another pro of animal testing is that it determines if certain drugs are safe for humans. Trial drugs must be tested on animals first to avoid human injury or death. If the drugs are considered unsafe for animals, they are unsafe for humans.

    Animals are Injured or Hurt

    • A major con of animal testing is that many animals have been injured or killed when testing medications or treatments. A lot of these animals were tested for substances that will never actually be approved for human use.

    Cost and Reliability

    • Another con of animal testing is the high cost. Along with being treated with drugs, animals must be fed and cared for in a safe environment. Animals may be tested more than once over the course of months, making the cost even higher. In addition, it is believed that animal testing can be unreliable. Animals can react differently to certain drugs than humans do. Animals may also become stressed because they are in an unnatural environment. They may react to the drugs differently than if they were in a natural environment.