Over the past several years animal testing has been a big topic of discussion. The debate of whether we should continue to allow scientists to test on these animals or if we should put an end to it has been floating in the air nonstop over the course of these years.  Many people believe that animal testing is wrong and that animals should not be the ones who have to suffer for our needs whereas many others believe that it is a necessity to our lives and harming animals is more beneficial than harming people to get the certain results that we want. The reason for testing on animals is because they have similar genes to humans and this provides us with a gateway to creating products that are not harmful to us. Basically, animals are used to ensure our safety and prevent us from being harmed. Many companies use this method to create their products and provide these things to their customers. Things such as cosmetic and household products are the items that animals are tested on to be made. Items like those are not necessarily needed to be made by animal testing because there are other methods to doing so. Along with those products, animals are also used for medical use. Animals should not be tested on in order to create products for our own use or even to provide us with medicines. If we are having to harm another living being to make products then they should not be made to begin with. Animals are living beings just as we are and testing on them is a wrongful act. In this paper, I will be furthering my argument as to why I believe so strongly in this and explaining the details of the issue.  

Make-up, shampoo, perfume, and skin cream. All of these products are things we use in everyday life. Several girls put on make-up every single day not knowing how the products they are applying to their faces were made. People all over the world use such products without ever knowing that an animal was harmed in the making of it. The four items just mentioned are only a few of the several products that harm animals in order to be made. In everyday life we all use a lot of things to prep ourselves or get ready in the morning, but the one thing that we do not ever stop to consider is how these things we use so frequently have been made. Animals, such as mice, rats, fish, and birds are all used to provide us with the things we want. According to Statistic Brain, the total percent on all testing done on rodents is at 87.5%. The total amount of the animals mentioned killed each year is over 19.5 million. If we then go to include dogs, cats, rabbits, monkeys, and pigs it increases that number to over 100 million (Collins, PETA). That is 100 million innocent animals being killed for our own good. 100 million animals being killed to produce the products we all use.  If we only consider the rats and birds being killed we do not necessarily feel as bad. When we start including dogs, cats, and monkeys we then begin to realize that this may have a wrong factor to it. We do not see these rodents as being a bad thing to be killed, but they are just as much of an animal as the others. When the topic of animal testing is brought upon us, we all know what it is and what it means. It means that animals are tested on. That is only the broad perspective of what animal testing truly means. These animals are not only used for the production of several products, but they are tortured in the process. They are sometimes forced to take toxic fumes, have their skin burned off, have holes drilled into their skulls, and have their spinal cords crushed. Now turning to look at the rodents mainly used for the medical research, the article explained how these animals are isolated and put into cages as their source of torment (Collins, PETA). This causes trauma and shows that there is more put into the harming of such beings. These animals are not just used to see if the product will work or not. They are tortured and kept as captive to provide us with the things we want. This goes to show that animal testing is a serious issue that needs to be publicized more.

Animal testing is something that many people do not agree with. The website as mentioned before, Statistic Brain, claimed that 43% of adults are against it. The torturing of the animals is one of the main reasons as to why animal testing is so frowned upon. On the other hand, the fact that there have been several other products to be made without harming animals is a major push in the debate. There have been many companies, such as Lush and Paul Mitchell, that have begun supporting cruelty-free products. They have made all of their products to not be tested on animals and support the idea that animal testing is wrong. This goes to show that there are products out there that have been sufficiently made without the harming of animals. Furthering that argument into the belief that we do not need to animal test any longer. The harming of innocent animals for products such as make-up and cleaners is no longer necessary and we should begin taking this into consideration. Over the years many models have begun arguing and supporting this in that it should not be an issue any longer. As model Kristin Bauer said, “It’s so simple for me: we should not be torturing another living being for mascara when we do not have to.” Animals are living beings just as we are and using them for our own good is wrong. We should begin to turn towards using making up and toiletries that have not been tested on. We should begin supporting cruelty-free products that do not harm animals (Ellin). 

Alongside there being companies with such things as cruelty-free products, there are also alternatives to animal testing. If we have the knowledge and the technology at hand to put an end to harming these animals, why are we not furthering into doing so? There are several advanced alternatives such as using human blood, cell lines, artificial skin or even computer models to do the testing on instead (Locke). Using actual human blood would put us at a much better advantage because it is actually from humans and not an animal. Artificial skin could also help us see what is harmful and what is not due to the fact it is so similar to our real skin. Using these other alternatives would be much easier due to the fact they are faster, cheaper, and more effective in a sense (Brulliard). Using the methods that are being used now are expensive, slow, and not always predictive. We should rely on more advanced things to tell us what is safe and what is not. Just because animal testing may tell us that it is okay for us to use something after an experiment is done does not guarantee our safety.

Animal testing is something that has been around for a long time. According to several articles, the idea of it has been around since the fourth century BCE. Well known Greek philosopher and scientist, Aristotle, was one of the first known people that used animals in his experiments. Alongside of him, several other scientists perform their own experiments and conduct their own research. One of the first observations took place in the 1600’s when a man named William Harvey tested on an animal. He did so to observe and further his understanding of the blood circulatory system and he succeeded. After this took place, the measurement of blood pressure, respiration facts, and the germ theory were also all found out by other scientists (Lloyd). There have been several different scientists who have furthered their experiments for medicine use. They have all found out several different advances in this field due to testing on animals and this brings up another reason animals are still tested on to this day. 

 Although the main issue concerning animal testing is mainly make-up and other toiletries, there is a medical factor to it as well. Some scientists use animals to test the safety of drugs and certain vaccines. They use the animals to test their medicines on to understand whether or not it will hurt the body(FDA). These animals are “used as an experimental method for testing procedures before applying them to humans”(Hajar). Animals having similar genes to humans comes into play here. If the animal can survive this and it does not end up affecting the body, then they believe it should be sufficient for humans as well. These animals are mainly used in the medical field for discovery purposes and the development of new things. Just as people disagree with animals being tested on for make-up and other products, the medicine factor is frowned upon as well. Although this can allow us some good, it can also lead to danger. These animals do not necessarily guarantee our safety. According to Harrison and Hesier, many people “turn to animals for safety of products”. This is not always 100% accurate though. In the same article, Harrison and Hesier found that some products still cause skin irritation and comfortless results. This showing that the testing on animals is not going to always give us the outcomes we want. This furthering my argument as to why animal testing is not a good idea. Animals may have similar genes to us, but that does not guarantee our safety.   

The topic of animals being tested for medical use brings into play our counterexample and counterargument. Since many scientists have experimented on animals and found out these cures or advances, it allows people to see the issue as something good. Several advances, such as HIV treatments, antibiotics, and insulin have been made due to testing on animals. Because of this, many scientist tend to think that animal testing is something that we need to continue our research and to allow us to have these advances. According to Blakemore, animal testing is the “best way to find out what causes diseases and knowing whether or not new treatments will be safe and effective.”  This goes to show that many people say that animal testing is something that works and is not misleading or unsafe. This furthers into the facts on how animals have the same genes as us and how it can allow us a gateway into knowing what works for us and what does not. In the same article, Blakemore explains how “biologically, we are similar to species such as mice and rats, because we have practically the same set of genes.” According to people such as Blakemore, having these same kind of genes allows us to see how humans would respond in such cases as well. If the animal reacts badly, then we would as well. If the animal reacts in a positive way, then it is safe for us to use. The article explains how these animals being tested on react and respond as humans would, therefore giving us a gateway into knowing things we would not be able to know without animal testing. Animal testing has also allowed several scientist to advance in their research and become better. 70% of Nobel peace prizes have been given due to animal testing and animal research. Several people believe that we should be proud of this and look to these experiments as something positive and something good. We should be proud those who have found out certain research that has helped so many others and helps with finding cures for diseases. “If we are to have any hope of treating such conditions, medical research needs every tool at its disposal. For everyone’s sake, that must include animals”(Blakemore). This goes into explaining how those who believe animal testing is not a wrongful act and that it is something that still needs to take place think about the issue. They believe that since we have found so many advances due to animal testing, why stop something that works? They believe that animal testing is not necessarily a big issue because it has helped us in so many ways. 

The topic of animal testing is something that has been around for a long time and is not just going to go away overnight. As stated before, several people agree with the idea of animal testing and think it is something that this world relies on so we should not do away with it. Others, such as myself, believe that animal testing is wrong and should have been put away a long time ago. If animals are being harmed for our own use, it is not the best outcome. If animals are having to be harmed to create make-up for girls to wear, or shampoo for us to put in our hair, it is not the best outcome. The best outcome would be to create these products without harming animals, without hurting or killing a living being just to get the things that we want. If other countries such as the European Union, India, and Israel have passes certain laws that ban the testing of animals and it works, it makes no sense for us to continue doing something that is no longer needed(Brulliard).  There has been several times when the court has tried to pass an Act to get rid of the issue. This certain Act, ‘The Humane Cosmetics Act’ would prohibit the testing on animals and begin to ensure our safety. This bill would also “protect people, ensuring that only safe products tested with cutting-edge technology enter the United States market”(Locke). If this Act could be passed by the court, then the issue of animal testing would be gone. Animals would no longer be getting hurt and those against animal testing would finally be happy. Since there are other ways for these products to be made, then the scientists would not have any reason to be upset about the Act cutting out animal testing. The best way to fully end this issue is by making it a law that animals can no longer be tested on for cosmetics or even medical use. Although, the medical part of it may benefit us greatly, the harming of animals is not needed for that process.

In conclusion, animal testing continues to be a huge issue and probably will be for a while. Animals are just as much a living thing as we are and we should consider this when going to test on them. Harming or hurting animals for our own good is something that should be more frowned upon. If we continue to harm animals it only makes us humans look bad. Animals are a big part of our world and we should try to cherish things like that more often. Next time you go to buy mascara or some shampoo you should consider how that item was made and think about whether an animal was harmed in the making of it. 
