To Experiment or Not to Experiment

By: Tess Reeves 4A

A dog, alone and shivering, is removed from her cage and taken to a testing room where shes poked, prodded, and injected with a new cure for some disease; however, if the vaccine doesnt prove safe, its a very high chance that she could die. There are ma ny other animals just like this one all over the world, but that doesnt make it right. Above all, testing on animals shouldnt be done, because we risk their endangerment, theyre tested on against their own free will, and they deserve respect we give to other human beings. By experimenting on animals, we put them at risk of being endangered. That may seem impossible, but if they continue to die, there may not be any more dogs. According to Stephanie Ernst, 25 to 100 Million animals died in 2008 alone (Animal Use and Abuse Statistics: The Shocking Numbers). Thats an awfully high number, but the numbers arent decreasing. After all, new medical miracles are being discovered every day that need to be tested. Festing, Simon, and Ray Greek ask, Is testing on animals a necessary step in the development of medicines essential for human health, or a flawed practice that has resulted in the needless suffering and deaths of millions of animals?(Animal Research: Necessary, Evilor Both?) When a human is tested on, the person gives their consent as to whether or not they want to be tested on and they get paid. However, when an animal is tested on, they dont get the choice of whether or not they want to be the test subject. Humans arent tested on against their will, so why should animals?

Animals are creatures on this earth as well; therefore, they deserve the respect we give each other, as humans. Back in the late 1800s, children were forced to work in factories and coal mines to help raise money for the family. Many fell ill, lost limbs, and even died. In 1938, however, Child Labor Laws were enforced to keep children from working until a certain age. If children shouldnt have to be forced to work, what justice is there in allowing animals to be tested on? Defenders of animal testing ask that if we dont test on animals and just release to product, how do we know if it will be harm the consumer or not? This may be true, but, David Pruce brings up a very good point. He says, Halting animal testing does not mean halting medical progress. Switching to modern, humane research will improve the quality and humanity to our science. (Can the Use of Animals in Medical Research Ever be Justified?) Animals shouldnt be used as test subjects. We put them at risk of endan germent and they dont volunteer to be tested on. They deserve the respect we humans give each other. We shouldnt test on animals that only want to be loved and cared for.