Argumentative Essay on Animal Testing

Imagine being experimented on, tortured, injected, and more of the sort without your permission. It’s to help people except the cost is your life and you don’t know if it would be worth it in the end. That’s what animal testing is like; Animal testing is experimentation, animal research, and testing in animals. Either by feeding the animals these substances, making them inhale the substances, having them rubbed onto their skin, or injected into their body. The animals are then observed to see what effects these substances have on them to see if it’s safe for humans. While animal testing may be seen as “beneficial” or “necessary,” it’s cruel, unreliable, and unessential as there are other things that can be done that would be considered less inhumane. 

Animal testing is brutal and it’s abuse. There are countless occurrences where animals are being abused. For instance, animals are around drugs, dangerous chemicals, and diseases. They are also killed by carbon dioxide asphyxiation. In addition, they are put under a great deal of pain and distress on purpose to study their reactions, that’s how the testing works. “Exposure to drugs, chemicals, or infectious disease at levels that cause illness, pain, and distress, or death...Prolonged periods of physical restraint...Infliction of pain to study its physiology and treatment...Behavioral experiments designed to cause distress, e.g., electric shock or forced swimming...Killing by carbon dioxide asphyxiation, neck-breaking, decapitation, or other means.”(Humane Society International). Some statistics affirm 300,000 animals were used by researchers with experiments involving pain in only one year. “The US Department of Agriculture reported in Jan. 2020 that research facilities used over 300,000 animals in activities involving pain in just one year.”(ProCon.org). These animals being put through pain and death just so that you can have nice makeup. Cruelty; “willfully causing pain or suffering to others, or feeling no concern about it.” These researchers are hurting and killing these animals without a care in the world. With such cruelty today, it’s unnecessary to have something like this happening that goes against ethics. 

Granted, some people might argue that animal testing helps ensure that things would be safe for humans and it is necessary. Plus, some laws protect animals so that they don’t get mistreated. They are correct as animals and humans are similar in many ways and it’s no harm to animals if they are being protected. “Because animals and humans are so biologically similar, they are susceptible to many of the same conditions and illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.”(ProCon.org). Humans and animals are the same right so with animal testing we know exactly what’s gonna happen. Animal testing is great despite the torture, but it’s no big deal because of the laws protecting animals. “In addition to local and state laws and guidelines, animal research has been regulated by the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) since 1966”(ProCon.org). Animals are protected from the abuse and pain that happens when they are being experimented on because of “laws” because “laws” change the procedures. The fact that animal testing is still not reliable and that “laws” might protect animals but they are still being tortured since it doesn’t change the procedure contradicts this view that animal testing is perfectly fine. 

Animal testing is undependable due to the fact that humans and animals while similar can be very different. Also, just because there are laws set in place, it doesn’t mean they are good ones that change anything. Something can have a different effect on animals than it does on humans and vice versa.  “Very often the symptoms and responses to potential treatments seen in other species are dissimilar to those of human patients. As a consequence, nine out of every 10 candidate medicines that appear safe and effective in animal studies fail when given to humans”(Humane Society). The results from animal testing aren’t worth all our time since they aren’t 100% accurate. 90% of experiments that work on animals tend not to work on humans. We’re abusing these poor animals without being affirmative that it will change anything. Just like with laws, just because they are there doesn’t mean they completely protect animals. “The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) does not apply to rats, mice, fish, and birds, which account for 95% of the animals used in research. The types of animals covered by the AWA account for fewer than one million animals used in research facilities each year, which leaves around 25 million other animals without protection from mistreatment”(ProCon.org). About 95% and about 25 million animals that are studied and experimented on aren’t protected. Only 5% of the animals are protected from torture and abuse. The laws are looked upon because people want animal testing to be safe but what isn’t realized is that there are percentages including. What percent the law protects, what percent of experiments work. There is a lot to think about because this thing you thought was safe and okay is most likely causing millions of animals’ deaths and spreading cruelty around. 

As expressed, as it seems inevitable and advantageous, it’s brutal and untrustworthy, and impractical. Animal testing puts most animals at risk of death and pain and it’s ignored since it’s animals. It’s helpful but it’s not always accurate seeing that animals can be very different from humans. Animals are harmed every day without any sort of protection. While there are some laws that may contribute towards animals’ safety, it only covers about 5% of animals. For the sake of pure ethics, humanity, and the safety of animals, animal testing is incredibly treacherous. It should not be dismissed just because “it’s getting handled,” “it helps us,” or “it’s just animals.” Excuses. Excuses to act atrocious and let yourself get away with killing life. Ultimately, Animal testing is very consequential, pointless, and should be considered barbaric for the terrible background that comes with it.