Governments and citizens across the world are facing an ethical dilemma over the use of animals in laboratory testing for drugs and other products. While I tend towards the viewpoint that animal testing is morally wrong, I would have to support a limited amount of animal-based experiments for the well-being of humanity.
On the one hand, there are clear ethical arguments against animal experiments. To use a common example of this practice, laboratory mice is given an illness so that the effectiveness of a new drug can be measured. Opponents of such experiments argue that humans have no right to subject animals to this kind of trauma, and that the lives of all creatures should be equally respected. Therefore, they believe that the benefits to humans do not justify the suffering caused, and that scientist should use alternative methods of research.
On the other hand, a fact to support animal-based experiments is that there is little chance of finding satisfying substitutions for animals. Animals bear a close resemblance to humans, either in behavior or in cell structure. In addition, they respond to external disturbances such as electrical shock nearly in the same manner as humans do. Many evidences suggest that most of what people know about themselves, such as pain, stress or nutrition, is based on experiments of animals. Therefore, animal testing proves one of the main approaches to predict the risks when drugs or other products are used on humans.
In conclusion, it seems to me that it would be wrong to ban testing on animals for vital medical research until equally effective alternatives have been developed.
Governments
and citizens across the world are facing an ethical dilemma over the
use
of
animals
in laboratory
testing
for drugs and other products. While I tend towards the viewpoint that
animal
testing
is
morally
wrong
, I would
have to
support a limited amount of animal-based
experiments
for the well-being of humanity.
On the one hand, there are
clear
ethical arguments against
animal
experiments
. To
use
a common example of this practice, laboratory mice is
given
an illness
so
that the effectiveness of a new drug can
be measured
. Opponents of such
experiments
argue that
humans
have no right to subject
animals
to this kind of trauma, and that the
lives
of all creatures should be
equally
respected.
Therefore
, they believe that the benefits to
humans
do not justify the suffering caused, and that scientist should
use
alternative methods of research.
On the other hand
, a fact to support animal-based
experiments
is that there is
little
chance of finding satisfying substitutions for
animals
.
Animals
bear a close resemblance to
humans
, either in behavior or in cell structure.
In addition
, they respond to external disturbances such as electrical shock
nearly
in the same manner as
humans
do.
Many
evidences suggest that most of what
people
know about themselves, such as pain,
stress
or nutrition,
is based
on
experiments
of
animals
.
Therefore
,
animal
testing
proves one of the main approaches to predict the
risks
when drugs or other products are
used
on humans.
In conclusion
, it seems to me that it would be
wrong
to ban
testing
on
animals
for vital medical research until
equally
effective alternatives have
been developed
.