Animal Testing Should be Banned, After all, Humans are Animals too by Sophia Reeves

97% of animals are killed post experimentation, and 100 million animals die per year due to humans selfishness from animal testing. This means that during the day today, 300,000 animals have been killed from experimentation. How does this change your opinion on humanity? This changes my opinion on humanity because innocent animals are being killed in a lab due to humans taking advantage of animals which are at our mercy, this is why this topic is significant to me. Animal testing should be banned because it’s cruel and inhumane, and there are other alternative methods that have been scientifically proven to work just as well.

Primarily, Animals experience extreme harm and pain when they are being experimented on. According to Pro Con, Humane Society International illustrates how animals experience food and water deprivation, burns and wounds, killing by carbon dioxide asphyxiation, neck-breaking and decapitation during testing. These experiences are calling for almost all experiments performed on animals. What people may not be aware of, the animals being tested on aren’t only mice or rats, they can commonly be dogs, cats, monkeys, fish, and birds.

Unquestionably, Animal testing being banned won't affect the science that needs to be produced, its completely replaceable.There are multiple alternative methods to animal testing, that have been proven to give reliable results. According to ABCCLIO, Baird Robert, a philanthropist explains that the anatomic, metabolic, and cellular differences between animals and people make animals poor models for human beings. There's artificial human skin, EpiDerm and ThinCert, made from human skin cells, There's vitro testing (tests done on human cells and tissue). Both methods can replace animal testing, actual human cells are more reliable than animals. Would you use a cosmetic product that uses animal cruelty? I certainly wouldn’t, and if you would, this is worrying. According to PETA, the global ambassador for Lush, a cruelty free cosmetic company states, “Cruelty-Free products are generally healthier. When you opt for products not tested on animals, you're also ditching the bad chemicals like parabens, sulfates, and synthetic dyes. These cleaner cosmetics are better for your skin, which means less likelihood of breakouts, allergies, and inflammation.” Clearly, animal cruelty free cosmetic products are superior to animal cruelty products. Im not the only one my age who believes animal testing should be banned. I did a survey asking peers in my class, “100 million animals die per year due to animal testing. Do you believe animal testing should be banned?” 100% of the students responded to the survey supporting for animal testing to be banned. Their opinion should be validated owing to the fact that they are the future generations of society and science. Alternative methods for animal testing should be used because they can replace the animal experimentation method, and produce healthier products. Not only, my peers who are the future generations of society support to ban animal testing.

A critic with a different opposing view may caim, according to Pro Con, that animal testing should still be used. They may oppose that animal testing should still be used because animals do not have rights, therefore it’s acceptable to experiment on them because they don’t have the moral judgement.

This opposing view isn’t valid because yes, animals don't have moral judgement, because they don’t have the ability to speak. Therefore, this is exactly why we don’t have the right to experiment on them. We should use human decency, and leave the animals alone, they don't deserve to be killed for our benefits. Animals do have basic rights, and animal testing is violating these rights. My mother, when asked how animal testing affects her interpretation on humanity states, “I think that what truly challenges humanity's moral test is the way we treat the things that we have the ability to overpower, such as animals.” This proves the opposing claim wrong because she points to humanity's true moral test, its fundamental test is the way we treat animals, especially when they are at our mercy. This quote proves how violating animal’s rights, using animal testing has caused society to fail this test.

Therefore, all factors considered, animal testing should be banned because it’s cruel and inhumane, and there are alternative methods that have been scientifically proven to work just as well. After reading this, I am certain you have realized why animal testing should be banned, and your opinion on humanity has changed. It’s time for us to take action on this topic. You may be wondering, how can we fix this problem? What is the anecdote? You and I can take action to ban animal testing by just spreading awareness, or only buying cruelty free products. After all, humans are animals too.

]]>