Some people argue that all experimentation on animals is bad and should be outlawed. However, others believe that important scientific discoveries can be made from animal experiments. Can experimentation on animals be justified? Are there any alternatives? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience.

The practice of testing on animals is increasingly being criticized in today's world, and rightly so. This trend is particularly evident in the global cosmetic and food industries, and in recent years, brands have been quick to distance themselves from such controversial practices and have been consciously labeling their products as 'cruelty-free' or 'vegan'. This can be attributed to the fact that customers, today, are becoming more well-informed and are seen as taking a higher interest in the production process of the goods and services they consume. Many pro-animal organizations, such as PETA, note that animals are sentient beings and regard experimentation on animals as cruel and inhumane. Their campaigns in recent years have been a huge success and have been able to rally a tremendous amount of public support for their views, mostly through celebrity endorsements, an effect that has the potential of bankrupting large organizations. As most FMCGs are driven by profit, any negligence of customer values and desires could result in huge losses for the organization, as well as sanctions if the experiments have been deemed illegal by the country in which the production facility exists and operates, and therefore, the practice of experimenting on animals has seen a significant decline in recent years. That said, there still exist various public and private groups that argue for the merits of testing on animals, as this could mean that they have been deemed fit for human consumption upon noting their effects on lab rats and guinea pigs. I believe that to support this stance, one needs to essentially believe that the life of an animal is less important than that of a human, and that they are disposable. Such a belief is dangerous as not only is it selfish but it also has the potential of causing psychological damages to those who maintain this stance. Moreover, the conditions that these animals are kept in are deplorable and if we would not want our household pets to be held in such abhorrent states then why would we approve of such a behavior toward other animals. Humans, today, have achieved incredible scientific and technological advancements and there has been an increase in stem cell research and genetic testing, which I believe, are better and safer alternatives than testing on other living things. After all, all life is sacred.