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Hi! Have you all seen the new viral video that was taking over the internet?

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Wait, I am going to share it with you all, it’s entitled “Save Ralph” and it revolves around the life of a rabbit tester named Ralph. As I watched the video, it really saddened me to know that there were thousands or even millions of animals who are experiencing extreme pain and death for the sake of multimillionaire companies to produce another product in the market.

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As some of us know, animal testing can cause diarrhea, paralysis, convulsion, and internal bleeding and through these effects animals used in cosmetics testing can experience an agonzing pain and even death. Despite the fact that a lot of cosmetic brands were still relaying in animal testing, its validity and accuracy was still far from perfection. In some researches that I’ve read, it stated there that animal testing can be considered pointless since the potential reactions of animals in the cosmetic products could be entirely unconnected to humans. Researchers shared that one of the most suitable replacement for animal testing is the In Vitro Testing and they recognized it as the “long existed” alternative method to animal testing. As soon as I was introduced to this kind of test, I took my time to research and find out more about it. One of the articles I’ve found said that in terms of the cosmetic industry, In Vitro Testing involves cell lines and reconstructed models of the human skin and cornea or the front eye. Also, the Cruelty Free International stated that non- animal testing methods are way better than animal testing. It shows that using In Vitro’s reconstituted human skin is 86% more accurate than the brutal Draize Skin Irritation Test in rabbits that only has 60% prediction of human skin reactions. These were the facts that proved and justified my belief that animal testing is not only unethical but also ineffective.

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I personally believe that animal testing is unethical since if there are various available testing methods that can also produce a valid results, it is was wrong to still continue to use animals just to perform these tests. As a matter of fact, BBC News, one of the most influential and well-known news outlet also expressed their thoughts on animal testing. In one of their articles about animal testing, they shared three reasons as to why it was always have been unacceptable. The first reason was because it causes extreme pain and suffering to animals involved in the experiments. Second, the benefits that it promised to bring for human beings are not clearly proven. Lastly, there were numerous alternative methods that can produce a more accurate and stable results compared to the cruel animal testing. As part of humanity, one of the things that we can do to help animals who are continuously suffering from various inhumane experiments was to raise our voices about the prevention of more waste of animal life and advocate that animal testing must end.

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You know what, I think the main reason behind the outgrowing fame of the video was because there were a lot of people who became informed and educated about the ugly truth behind the beauty industry. The “Save Ralph” video is a campaign to urge cosmetic brands to stop using animals to test if their products are safe for humans to use. Also, to encourage people to stop buying from brands who are still doing animal testing and instead support those who have cruelty-free products available in the market.

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I once read an article about the history of animal testing in the US and it said there that the United States Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act was signed into a law in 1938. The law was about requiring few safety substantiation of cosmetic products. This forced the cosmetic companies to start testing their products on animals. In 1944, the Draize Irritancy Tests also known as the Draize Rabbit Eye Test were developed. In order to perform this test, it requires directly exposing the animals’ eyes and skin to chemicals.

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Yes, testing animals for cosmetic products is unbearable, but there is some consideration about it. For example, the experiments on animals about the advancement of medical and biological knowledge. This is for the sake of everybody's health that we should embrace because this experiment is relevant and necessary. As far as I can tell, this is the part of the standard scientific method, wherein the testing could be entirely conclusive for the hygiene and toxicology for humans because there is some point that the effects of these substances are the same on humans as on animals. This experimentation is probably seeking good and safety for everyone, not just the humans who want to look better.

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But, as we delve deeper into the context of animal testing in relation with our lesson about bioethics, should it still be considered as unethical and immoral? I mean, do animals even have autonomy to begin with? And what about cultures that adhere or accept this kind of cruelty towards animals?

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But, as we delve deeper into the context of animal testing in relation with our lesson about bioethics, should it still be considered as unethical and immoral? I mean, do animals even have autonomy to begin with? And what about cultures that adhere or accept this kind of cruelty towards animals?

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From the information that you guys mentioned, animal testing is indeed debatable and challenges our perception on ethics and morality. I was really enlightened by the different views I saw in our conversation about bioethics and animal testing. My takeaway on this insightful discussion is that ethics cannot suffice the gap between cultures and beliefs of individuals. And in this, if we are in doubt on what to believe or on where we should incline, let us use the natural moral law as our basis in deciding as students of Applied Ethics. It is also best for us to practice substantial research on topics as vast as animal testing to further enlighten us. Once we do this, then we’ll definitely be ethical individuals.

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MONZON, Robyn
SAGUN, Erika
SANTOALLA, Raya
SORIANO, Carl
TABINAS, Kaye

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BBC News. (n.d.). Animal Ethics - Experimenting on Animals. https://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/using/experiments_1.shtml

Cruelty Free International. (n.d.). Alternatives to animal testing. https://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/why-we-do-it/alternatives-animal-testing

Orlans, F. Barbara. In the Name of Science: Issues in Responsible Animal Experimentation. New York: Oxford UP, 1993.

QIMA Life Sciences. (n.d.). How In Vitro Testing is Used in the Cosmetics Industry. https://qima-lifesciences.com/en/how-is-in-vitro-testing-done/

The Humane Society of the United States. (n.d.). Timeline: Cosmetics testing on animals. https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/timeline-cosmetics-testing-animals

Zuazua, R. (2017, March 9). Cosmetic Animal Cruelty: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. https://www.finehomesandliving.com/featured/cosmetic-animal-cruelty-the-good-the-bad-and
-the-ugly/article_22f3191b-8ef2-50a6-962a-c540748a9b43.html