Animal Testing: Catapulting scientific success or breaking moral code

By: Kate Bevins

Tensions are rising between the science community and animal lovers, and it's all because of one subject. Animal testing. It's a disputed concept that has been pushing both scientific and moral boundaries for years. Experiments on rats, rabbits, and in rarer cases monkeys and dogs have led to scientific discoveries in medicine that continue to save lives. Originally, animal testing never raised any concern about morality. However, animal rights organizations, and activists have begun speaking out for those without a voice - animals. These people are trying to raise awareness among the public about the horrors of animal testing. This controversy begins to raise many questions to the public. Are these experiments truly needed for research with no other solutions? Why are we in such a modern age, yet our animal ethics seem so ancient? The divided public is what makes this issue so impactful and necessary to be debated.

Some of the biggest scientific breakthroughs are a result of animal testing. Animal testing provides a way to safely research biomedicine without harm to humans. This testing has led to evolution of surgical procedures, vaccines, medicine, antibiotics, and insulin for diabetes. The National Association for Biomedical Research declared, “Animal testing followed by human clinical trials currently remains the best way to examine complex physiological, neuroanatomical, reproductive, developmental and cognitive effects of drugs to determine if they are safe and effective for market approval.” Along with this association, many scientific experts believe animal testing is the best and only way modern physicians can gain the knowledge they need to treat humans. Though it may not seem like it, our similarity to rodents makes them a key piece in biomedical studies. The demand for animal testing has barely, if at all, decreased over the years. In fact, the COVID-19 vaccine was originally tested on animals. Though the ethics of animals during testing can be questionable at times, it would be much worse to skip this testing and move straight to humans. This could result in sickness, or even death for the testers.

Many people in a variety of countries are beginning to despise animal testing and its cruelty. According to PETA, 52% of US adults oppose animal testing. According to | The Humane Society of the United States, over 50 million animals are tested on each year. There is a lack of coverage on animal testing in the media, which makes activists even more desperate to fight for their cause. More and more people are beginning to believe cruel treatment of animals for experimentation is completely outdated and unnecessary. According to the Naturewatch foundation, “non-animal testing is often more cost-effective, efficient and quicker. Methods include organ-on-chip, in-silico computer simulations, cell and tissue culture (in-vitro), 3D printing, and artificial skin models.” The modernization of technology the 20th century has provided adds a new layer to this issue. With the amount of technology that exists, is it not possible to find a better way of testing medicine and cosmetics? One example of this is researchers are beginning to use Artificial Intelligence platforms like ChatGPT to test the toxicity of chemicals instead of using animals. These technologies might end up becoming the future of biomedical research.

Animal testing brings up bigger moral questions than just animal research. It asks us to draw the line between human benefit and others suffering. Is it worth it to cause 115 million animal deaths in the search for a lifesaving cure, or a medication? As researchers continue to discover possible solutions, people will continue to wonder. Is animal testing just our present, our predestined future, or our dark past?

Sources:

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/animals-used-experiments-faq