AGAINST Animal testing
We have moved away from studying human disease in humans. … We all drank the Kool-Aid on that one, me included. … The problem is that [animal testing] hasn’t worked, and it’s time we stopped dancing around the problem. … We need to refocus and adapt new methodologies for use in humans to understand disease biology in humans.” —Dr. Elias Zerhouni
Animal tests are conducted all over the world causing horrific suffering to animals. The majority of animals used for testing are rats and mice. Other animals used are hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, nonhuman primates, frogs, sheep and cattle. Animal testing is approved of by many people, because they believe that these tests are necessary for medical progress. The truth is that many animal experiments are not only horrible for the animals, but also very unreliable and unethical, because of the physiological variations among rabbits, dogs, pigs and humans for instance. Not to mention that there exist other ways to test for medical purposes other than testing on animals.
Other methods include...
1. in vitro (test tube) test methods and models based on human cell and tissue cultures 2. computerized patient-drug databases and virtual drug trials 3. computer models and simulations 4. stem cell and genetic testing methods 5. non-invasive imaging techniques such as MRIs and CT Scans 6. micro dosing (in which humans are given very low quantities of a drug to test the effects on the body on the cellular level, without affecting the whole body system) Benefits of non-animal testing 1. Alternative scientific tests are often more reliable than animal tests. 2. The use of human tissue in toxicity testing is more accurate than the animal models. 3.Non-animal tests are more cost-effective, practical, and expedient. 4.Cruelty-free products are more environmentally friendly. |
"Alternatives to Animal Testing." PETA. Web. 18 May 2015.
"Animal Testing." Animal Cruelty -. Web. 18 May 2015.
"In Testing | Alternatives to Animal Testing and Research." In Testing | Alternatives to Animal Testing and Research. Web. 18 May 2015.
"Animal Testing." Animal Cruelty -. Web. 18 May 2015.
"In Testing | Alternatives to Animal Testing and Research." In Testing | Alternatives to Animal Testing and Research. Web. 18 May 2015.