Many people know nothing of animal testing and the danger it poses to animals. The few who do often say something similar to what a fellow 8th grader once said to me. Keelagh Breslin said, “The fact that animals are purposefully harmed is terrible and it makes me feel like animal testing needs to be stopped and that more people need to advocate and stand up for the animals that are tested.” She knows that animal testing can purposefully sicken, harm and infect animals. The animals are given poison and diseases so researchers can ‘see what's going to happen’. They are kept in tiny cages and almost always die during or after testing. Not just this, but animal testing is no longer the most accurate form of testing and harming animals is not needed. There are many alternatives to animal testing, ways we can learn without hurting our loved fluffy friends.

Animal testing needs to be stopped because it is a terrible thing that is unneeded and harms un-protected and weak animals. Others say animal testing is ‘okay’ and that we should keep using it as a method of research. They say this because they feel animal testing is useful for more invasive testing. Testing that we shouldn't use on humans because it would be too big of a risk, ("Animal Testing"). Just because testing these things on humans is unethical doesn't mean we should start harming other weaker species that inhabit this earth. All species matter and are needed, we shouldn't be able to use them as science experiments for our gain. Plus, there are alternatives to testing on animals that can be used and are sometimes more accurate, like models of the human body that work as if they were living. Besides that, this is not a good enough reason or a way to rationalize hurting animals. 

Many of the ways people make animal testing okay is by rationalizing it. There is no true way to rationalize hurting living things. As Professor Charles R. Magel once said, “Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals and the answer is: 'Because animals are like us.' Ask the experimenters why it is morally okay to experiment on animals, and the answer is: 'Because the animals are not like us.' Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction,” ("Animal Experimentation''). Taking what he said we can see how messed up animal testing is. The reason why we should be able to do it and the reason why it is okay contradict each other. Not only that but there are so many alternatives to animal testing. By fighting against it and pushing to stop it we can save the millions of animals harmed and/or killed by animal testing every year.

With all of these reasons to stop animal testing many wonder why animal testing still exists, just like the 50% of CMS students in a recent survey who said that animal testing should be stopped, immediately. There is no logical reason for experimenting on animals when we can advance our research and technology in so other ways. 95% of the drugs tested on animals ultimately fail anyways, ("Taking Suffering"). Animal testing is not longer needed, and in many areas it i useless.The reasons why animal testing is unethical and just an all around terrible thing are endless. 

With all that I have said, and you have learned, I hope you agree that animal testing should be stopped. We need to spread awareness about the things happening to these animals. These animals don't have a voice so we need to stand up for them. It is our job to help these animals and stop the animal testing and harm that goes on all around the world. Don't you want to help make Earth a better place?