Benefits Of Animal Testing Research Paper Samples

As compared to all other races and specie, humans have made the greatest progress over the ages. Humans once used to live in caves, had limited communication skills and ate natural herbs, fruits and hunted animals. Since then humans have developed various technologies starting from fire and then many centuries later the wheel that have revolutionized life on this earth. Since about two to three hundred years ago the rate of progress of humans has increased considerably. With the invention of electricity and modern means of communication most of the aspects of human life have seen dramatic change. One such aspect is the health and mortality of humans. Since the advent of science treatments for many fatal diseases have been discovered and these diseases have been eliminated from the world. Some of these diseases include small pox and rinderpest while others like polio, malaria and measles are being actively targeted for elimination. Medical science has benefited from various technologies and inventions like vaccination, X-Ray, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and advanced DNA analysis. Another technique that has benefited humans in developing and testing new treatments and medication is animal testing. This technique has been the subject of many controversies and has been a part of ethical debates for quite some time. Despite the arguments against animal testing from animal rights activists and moral philosophers there is ample scientific evidence to suggest that animal testing is beneficial both for humans and for animals and it has played an important role in the betterment of human and animal health conditions.
The opponents of animal testing claim that most of the research involving animals includes putting animals through painful procedures. The animals are subjected to different types of painful treatments like disease, shocks, injury and starvation. All these treatments if applied to a human being will evoke a strong reaction but since animals cannot express themselves in an understandable way we consider it okay to subject them to all sorts of treatment. The argument is based on the assertion that since animals have a nervous system and they have the ability to feel, they should not be subjected to any painful or aversive treatment. This argument encourages humans to empathize with other creatures like animals and makes them relate with the pain the animals might feel during testing.
Another philosophical argument that is made in an effort to stop animal testing is that every form of life is deserving of respect. Using animals for experimentation and testing is considered as a form of ‘speciesism’ that is considered the same as racism or sexism. According to these opinion holders using animals for testing is a form of discrimination against them and like all other forms of discriminations it is immoral and ought to be stopped. If humans claim to be rational and ethical creatures they should stop all forms of discriminations and treat all living creatures with respect.
Animal rights activists further claim that many experiments conducted on animals have no scientific value and they are just conducted to satisfy curiosity. The treatment given to animals is cruel and this cruelty is not justified in any way possible because no actual good comes out of these experiments. These activists claim that in many other cases as well where some useful results are derived there are alternatives that can be used instead of animals and the use of animals in most of the research is basically an expression of basic human cruelty and apathy.
Evaluating these arguments one can see that these are mostly based on philosophical perspectives and have little evidence from science and statistics. But even from a philosophical one can argue in favor of animal testing. According to one of the most important paradigms of philosophy it is human beings have a moral duty to function in a way that maximizes the overall utility. This school of thought, utilitarianism asserts that any action that provides pleasure and happiness is moral. According to this school consequences are more important the means adopted. In case of medical and psychological research it is most important to find cures to diseases and remove the distress of the suffering. And the use of animals provides the necessary test before drugs or treatments are administered to humans as clinical trials. The use of animals throughout history has led to countless breakthroughs and this has increased the overall wellbeing of the society. For further increasing the overall wellbeing of the society it is justifiable to continue using animals for research purposes.
Another major field apart from medicine that has involved the use of animals in laboratories is psychology. Animals are organisms that are capable of at times sophisticated behavior and observation and analysis of this behavior has led to major insights into human psyche and behavior. Psychologists have also attempted to manipulate the behavior, mental states and physical conditions of animals to gain further insight into their mental processes hence providing a basis for exploring humans. The understanding of human behavior has also contributed immensely to the betterment of mankind. These researches have led to the discovery of reasons and cures of mental diseases and behavioral issues. This research has also allowed us to be more aware of our inner processes and this in turn allows us greater control over our actions and social relations.
It would seem that animals testing and experiments have thus far only contributed to the betterment of mankind with little effect on their own specie. Science shows contrary results where animal research has led to great advances in treatment of diseases that typically affect animals. One of the two diseases that have been eradicated from this world is rinderpest which was mostly found in cattle. Other diseases like mad-cow disease, bird-flu and rabies that have caused widespread damage and deaths to animal populations are also being researched using laboratory animals. With the cures and preventive measures being developed with the help of this research, vast populations of animals will be benefited that formerly had to be executed to prevent the spread of disease to other animals around. Apart from helping the animal populations themselves this will also result in a decrease in ailments transmitted to humans from animals.
In a nutshell it can be said that although there are several philosophical arguments that oppose animal testing on moral and empathetic grounds. But on the other hand animal testing has allowed us to overcome many fatal and harmful diseases like cancer, heart disease, strokes etc. Animals not only have led to discoveries in human medicine but also in animal science so the benefits of animal research extend over multiple species and are not limited to humans. Research on animals has also provided us with great insights regarding human psyche and behavior. Overall the scientific evidence is highly in favor of animal testing. This probably explains why the general population of humans approves of necessary animal testing. This issue however cannot be allowed a free hand with no regulations. There should be strict guidelines in place regarding the use of animals in laboratories. Animals should be given appropriate environments and humane conditions. Animals should only be used when non-animal alternatives are not available. The number of animals used should also be kept to a minimum and all attempts should be made to minimize the suffering of the animals being studies. The design of experiments should also be made as error free and reliable as possible so that adequate results are produced in the minimum number of trials. Researchers should also be educated and made aware of the sentience and dignity of animals. Researchers should be trained in the proper treatment of animals and misuse of animals should be strongly discouraged. If these measures are in place there is little reason why animal testing should not go on. The medical and psychological advances made because of animal research definitely warrant its continued use.

This essay takes an argumentative approach to discussing animal testing. It is a widely discussed and controversial topic. Opponents of animal testing argue that animals are subjected to painful procedures. Animals are also not given respect as living beings. Furthermore animal testing is done without any real purpose or aim and it is only meant to satisfy curiosity.
In favor of animal testing one can take the utilitarian approach. It can be claimed that animal testing increases the overall wellbeing of the society and hence its use is justified. Scientifically, there is ample evidence that animal testing has led to immense improvement in the health of humans and animals. Many diseases have been cured or prevented through research, which were formerly untreatable and fatal. Animals have also benefited from research conducted using animals and the benefits of animal testing are not limited to humans only. Psychological understanding and insight has also been gained through research on animals. In light of all these benefits it is justifiable to carry on with animal research.
Overall, the benefits of animal testing outweigh the costs associated with it. Nevertheless, proper guidelines and code of conduct needs to be in place to ensure that animals are not mistreated or misused. Furthermore researcher should be educated and trained in proper animal treatment and experimentation.

Works Cited

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Bennette, Allison J. Animal research: The bigger picture and why we need psychologists to speak out. 04 2012. 22 03 2015 <http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2012/04/animal-research.aspx>.
Driver, Julia. The History of Utilitarianism. 2014. 22 03 2015 <http://plato.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/encyclopedia/archinfo.cgi?entry=utilitarianism-history>.
Frey, R. G. "Autonomy and the Value of Animal Life." The Monist, Oxford Journals (1987): 50-63.
Pro-Test. Benefits. 2006. 22 03 2015 <http://www.pro-test.org.uk/facts.php?lt=c>.
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