The Case Against Animal Testing

Abby Rowland
CAP Critical Thinking
Blue Group
March 31
st
, 2014

It is imperative that testing on animals for medical research and cosmetic
safety be outlawed by the United States Congress, as alternatives to testing exist,
testing causes undue pain and suffering for the animals, and researchers often
experiment simply out of curiosity. Currently in the United States, some of the most
common types of animal experimentation include toxicity tests, corrosion tests,
product testing, and even pesticide tests. Animals such as monkeys, mice, and
rabbits are burned, poisoned, starved, mutilated, and blinded on a regular basis, all
in the name of research and beauty. As of right now, it is up to each individual state
to decide whether to pass laws regarding animal testing. Some states, such as
California, have passed somewhat progressive laws to reduce the amount of testing
on live animals; however, adequate protection will never come about without a
comprehensive law at the level of the United States government that abolishes
animal testing.
Animal experimentation has a long and controversial history in the United
States. Animal testing has brought the world great medical discoveries, such as new
insulin for diabetes and increased survival rates for cancer. It cannot be denied,
however, that the animals used to discover these new medical solutions have been
tortured and killed. Animal testing first came to prominence in the twelfth century
when Ibn Zuhr, an Arab physician, introduced animal testing as an experimental
method for testing surgical procedures before applying them to human
patients(NCBI). Then, around 1865, Claude Bernard, the father of physiology,
established animal experimentation as part of the standard scientific method
(NCBI). As animal experimentation became common in the United States, many