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Pros & Cons of Experimenting on Animals

Animal experimentation is a complex issue with vehemently vocal voices speaking out both for and against the issue. Experimenting on animals has led to countless medical breakthroughs in the past, but animal rights activists claim it is a cruel practice with no modern necessity. Both sides have strong arguments, though neither has been able to successfully convince the other, so the debate rages on.

  1. Pro: New Medical Treatments and Techniques

    • Insulin, which is necessary for diabetes patient survival, was developed directly from animal experimentation. The same is true of many leading HIV and cancer treatments, as well as antibiotics, vaccines and even organ transplants. While testing on animals usually results in the animal's death, the resulting medications and treatments have gone on to save countless human lives. Current U.S. law requires new drugs to go through extensive testing on animals before they can be tested on humans and ultimately released to the public, so from a legal standpoint, animal testing is still a necessity in the modern medical world.

    Con: Unreliable Results

    • Animal rights activists point out that animals often react differently to medication than humans do, given their different biology. This can skew results and make tests unreliable. Additionally, the stress of an unknown environment can make an animal's body react in unnatural ways that may further skew results. Animal rights activists also point to the high cost of keeping and testing on animals, though proponents of the practice argue that the benefits outweigh the costs, and that it is still the cheapest and most reliable method of testing new drugs and products.

    Pro: Animals are Helped Too

    • Animal experimentation does not exist just to help people; treatments and medication for pets, like heart worm drugs, have also been developed through the use of animal testing. Household products have also been tested on animals to ensure they are safe. While this practice is largely to benefit humans, it also benefits household pets who will also be exposed to cleansers, detergents and other products used on a daily basis in homes around the world.

    Con: Animals Are Hurt

    • Animals who are experimented on often suffer the results of ineffective or even dangerous medication. Many medications tested on animals never make it to market, making the suffering of animals seem futile. While the loss of animal lives can be justified by the number of human lives saved as a result, experimenting on animals is much harder to defend when it is cosmetic products being tested. Cosmetics are not necessary to human survival, so the backlash against testing consumer makeup products on animals is clear: companies who use natural ingredients and do not test on animals proudly proclaim this fact on their websites, promotional materials and even on their product packaging.

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