Animal Testing Is Cruel And Inhumane

Animal testing is a topic that has been debated for many years. Currently, animal testing is legal in the United States, however, many believe that this should be changed and animal testing should become illegal. Animals should not be used for scientific or commercial testing because it is cruel and inhumane, tests that pass can be unsafe for humans, there are more accurate alternative testing methods, and it is more expensive than other forms of testing. One reason why animals should not be used for scientific or commercial testing is it is cruel and inhumane. While some believe that animals do not have rights and therefore are acceptable to conduct experiments on, the pain and suffering animals face during these tests is actually …show more content…
According to the Humane Society International, animals are experimented with “force feeding, forced inhalation, food and water deprivation, prolonged periods of physical restraint, the infliction of burns and other wounds to study the healing process, the infliction of pain to study its effects and remedies, and killing by carbon dioxide asphyxiation, neck-breaking, decapitation, or other means" ("About Animal Testing"). Also, the Animal Welfare Act, an act that was created in order to regulate animal experimentation, does not cover ninety five percent of the animals, such as rats, fish, and birds, used in these processes. For instance, “The AWA covered 1,134,693 animals used for testing in fiscal year 2010, which leaves around 25 million other animals that are not covered” ("Animals Used in Research in the U.S. - Ethics of Medical Research with Animals"). Animals that are …show more content…
For example, in the 1950s, the sleeping pill, thalidomide, was released to the public after being considered safe through animal testing. After it was released, the drug caused ten thousand deformities in babies ("Thalidomide"). Many other drugs have had similar outcomes, especially the drug Vioxx, which was recorded as causing the most deaths compared to any other drug considered safe through animal testing. According to Cruelty Free International, “Vioxx, a drug used to treat arthritis, was found to be safe when tested in monkeys (and five other animal species) but has been estimated to have caused around 320,000 heart attacks and strokes and 140,000 deaths worldwide” ("Arguments against animal testing"). Therefore, animal testing is not always accurate and efficient, causing pain and suffering for humans as