Khang Minh Nguyen

Professor Hoffman
English 1301
16 April 2014
Animal Testing
The last few years have seen many advancements in biomedical research. An old method,
animal testing remains employed to evaluate the effects of medicines before going into
production. Some people believe animal testing remains harmless and necessary for product
safety. However, others strongly assert it tortures and even kills animals. People should never
use animals for scientific and commercial testing because it tortures animals, it stands as morally
wrong, it breeds serial killers, it remains an unreliable method, and it wastes time and money.
People should never use animals for scientific and commercial testing because it tortures
animals. Some common testing animals include primates, dogs, rabbits and rats. Caged inside
cold laboratories or barren cages across the country, they experience extreme loneliness and
great pain, longing to use their minds and roam freely. Instead of living in their natural habitats,
these animals, which usually got hit badly, screamed at and stuffed inside small cages, wait for
experimentation in fear. This shocks them. Peter Singer, a professor of Bioethics at Princeton
University, states, testing animals "develop neurotic behaviors, for example: rocking impatiently,
biting and pulling their skin and fur" (34). Even worse, they cower or shudder whenever
someone goes near their cages. This fear causes their blood pressure to shoot up drastically and
some even die in this process. Sorrowfully, their life of solitude and pain finally leads to death
when they are used in experimentation (Singer 34). Therefore, people should never use animals
for scientific and commercial testing because it tortures animals.
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In addition, people should never use animals for scientific and commercial testing
because it remains morally wrong. Scientists conduct dissections on defenseless animals without
their consent. In any case, no animal would consent to the cruel procedures normally conducted
on them. Moreover, not only many dissected animals got lost from their homes, but they also
land in the hands of merciless people who use them for experiments. Disregarding the sanctity of
life, many people still perform animal testing. All animals have the right to live. Adam
Hepworth, a professor at Stanford University, states, " Animals should be afforded the same
level of respectful treatment as humans; in short, we should not have the right to kill animals,
force them into our service, or otherwise treat them merely as means to further our own goals."
(3). Hence, people should never use animals for scientific and commercial testing because it
stands as morally wrong.
Furthermore, people should never use animals for scientific and commercial testing
because it breeds serial killers. Nowadays, students have to dissect animals in most science
classes. Although many teachers think it helps their students understand lessons, animal
experiments at school actuall leads to desensitization among students and consequently
encourages them to engage in harming animals. Alarmingly, some of them get fascinated when
they see the inside organs of dissected animals. This causes them to experience the same feeling
towards humans. Many serial killers, such as Jeffery Dahmer, admitted that he "attributed his
fascination with murder and mutilation to classroom dissections" ("People with Compassion
Dissection"). Stephanie Watson, an author with more than ten years of experience as a freelance
health writer and editor, states, "When turtles heads are drilled and smashed with hammers,
rabbits hearts exposed and manipulated with electricity, it causes insensitivity as the students
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have to perform these experiments for the sake of their grades" (25). Thus, people should never
use animals for scientific and commercial testing because it breeds serial killers.
Also, people should never use animals for scientific and commercial testing because it
remains unreliable. Scientifically, the human anatomy remains different from the animal
anatomy. Using animals to test for human medications can sometimes backfire because of
biological differences. Humans would not respond the same way to drugs the same way as caged
animals. . Moreover, each species varies from others in terms of physiological reactions to
medication. A website about animal testing states, "Although this methodology has become the
norm in research labs around the world, a closer look at the data makes it clear that species who
share close evolutionary relationships or anatomical similarities do not necessarily undergo the
same biochemical mechanisms or physiological responses. In fact, it can be dangerous to apply
animal-derived data to humans." ("The Failure of the Animal Model"). Therefore, people should
never use animals for scientific and commercial testing because it remains unreliable.
Further, people should never use animals for scientific and commercial testing because it
wastes time and money. People kill thousands of animals every year for testing new products.
Nevertheless, most tested products do not advance scientific studies or offer solutions to medical
problems. Many pharmaceutical companies attempt to hedge their liability by conducting animal
experiments. Moreover, taxpayers pay billions of dollars annually. Spending money on animal
experimentation costs the United States economy greatly. Nancy Day, who holds a B.A. in
Communications from the University of Maryland and an Executive M.B.A. from Loyola
College, states, "Animal tests are not free of charge. For a single test, a person pays between
$10,000 and $75,000 dollars" (37). Thus, people should never use animals for scientific and
commercial testing because it wastes time and money.
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People should never use animals for scientific and commercial testing because it abuses
animals, it stands as unethical, it breeds serial killers, it remains an undependable method, and it
wastes time and money. Thousands of innocent animals suffer from agony in small cages.
Moreover, people ignore the sanctity of life to perform experiments on them. Not only
conducting dissections on animals provokes desensitization among students, but it also
encourages them to hurt more animals and even people. Further, animal testing results remains
unpredictable. Additionally, it costs a great deal of money every year. For a better future when
animals and humans can live together in harmony, scientists must stop conducting animal
testing.














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Works Cited
Day, Nancy. Animal Experimentation: Cruelty or Science? (Issues in Focus). 2nd ed. New York:
Enslow Publishers, 2000. Print.
Hepworth, Adam. "Animal Research: The Ethics of Animal Experimentation." Huntington's
Outreach Project for Education, at Stanford. N.p., 26 Nov. 2008. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
"People with Compassion Dissection." Animalrightsinfo. N.p., 14 Sept. 20012. Web. 12 Apr
2014.
Singer, Peter. Animal Liberation. New York: Ecco Press, 2001. Print.
"The Failure of the Animal Model." Advancing Science without Harming Animals. N.p., 24 Oct.
2005. Web. 12 Apr 2014.
Watson, Stephanie. Animal Testing: Issues and Ethics (Science and Society). New York: Rosen
Pub Group, 2009. Print.