Animal experimentation has been increasing at an immense rate. Each year, millions of animals are used to test the safety, effectiveness, and usability of various products like cosmetics, drugs, chemicals, etc. These animals often undergo genetic modification, are deprived of their natural habitats, and tortured all in the name of “Scientific experiments”. Hence, it is a cruel and unnecessary activity and therefore Animal Experiments should be banned.
In the name of ‘Science’ many animals are exploited, ill-treated and made to suffer immense bouts of pains during the experimental process. The animals are cut, burned, poisoned and given crippling diseases in order to test the effects of drugs or to measure the safety of products. For instance, in the Draize Test the substance or product being tested is placed in the eye of the animal and the animal is kept under observation for further damage reports. This experiment not only leaves the animal afflicted with pain and blindness but also proves to be an act full of cruelty. Moreover, the experimented animal is not allowed euthanasia to free it from its misery but caused to bear the pain a long time. Thus, animal experiment is highly cruel and painful and must be banned.
Secondly, there are many better alternatives that can replace animal testing and provide just as much accurate results. For instance, the development of a synthetic cellular tissue that closely resembles human skin. This has enabled researchers to test the potential damage of a product on the skin by using this artificial “skin” instead of testing it on animals. Computers have also been used as an alternative, to simulate and estimate the potential damage that a product or chemical can cause. In another alternative method, in vitro testing, cellular tests are done inside a test tube. All of these tests have been proven to be useful and reliable alternatives to testing products on live animals. Therefore, because effective means of product toxicity testing are available without the use of live animal specimens, testing potentially deadly substances on animals is unnecessary.
Although there are alternatives available and animal testing significantly proves to be painful, some people still argue that animal experimentation is valid because animals are lower than humans. They believe that animals don’t possess the intelligence or knowledge like humans and thus animal experiments are justifiable. However, this is a baseless justification. Medical research proves that even though animals are lower than humans in the evolutionary chart, animals possess many features that resemble humans. For e.g. many animals, especially those belonging to the mammalian class, possess many internal organs and structures that are identical humans. Therefore, animals’ lives should be respected because they have an inherent right to be treated with dignity. The harm that is committed against animals should not be minimized because they are not considered to be “human”.
In conclusion animal experimentation should be banned because it proves to be highly painful and unnecessary. There are plenty of alternatives that can be considered instead of animal testing. Animals have the rights to live freely and to be treated with compassion. Hence, animal exploitation in any form should be banned because it is the most inhumane act that one can do towards other living beings.
Eduindex 
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