INTRODUCTION

Human abuse is a violation of the law, but animal cruelty is done, legally. According to

the Humane Society of the United States, more than 25 million animals are used in scientific

testing and research each year. Animal testing, also known as animal research, is the use of

nonhuman animals in experiments on a biological system similar to humans' (Rezk, 2021). For

thousands of years, animals have been used in scientific research. The first animal testing was

carried out around 450 BC by the Greek philosopher Alcmaeon. Other Greek scientists, such as

Aristotle and Erasistratus, conducted experiments on live animals as well. It is evident how a

animal experimentation has helped society advance. Many people, however, are against using

animals in scientific research because they are deprived of their freedom and frequently suffer

serious injury and discomfort. Thus, animal testing must be prohibited because it violates the

rights of animals.

Animals should be granted the same moral rights and legal protections as humans. The

FBI officially designated animal cruelty as a category in the Uniform Crime Report, a national

crime reporting system used to investigate homicides, on January 1, 2016. However, animals are

still frequently killed after the experiments are completed, often before they reach the end of

their natural lifespan (Ólafsson, 2023). The Animal Welfare Act of 1966 provides some legal

protection for test animals. The law, however, only protects large mammals like dogs, cats, and

monkeys, not mice, rats, or birds. For example, the majority of animal testing is done on small

animal species that have no legal protection. As a result, organizations such as the Wolf

Preservation Foundation, the Greyhound Protection League, the International Primate Protection

League, and Defenders of Wildlife have formed to protect specific groups or species of animals

from these abuses.

 Animal testing is both costly and unreliable, deeming it useless. According to the

National Institutes of Health, 95% of all drugs that have been shown to be safe and effective in

animal tests fail in human trials because they don't work or are dangerous. Furthermore, the cost

equates to $28 billion per year spent on misleading experimentation (Kretzer, 2018). For

example, if a product's safety is based on animal tests, the product's users are at high risk of

harming their health. Not only is an individual put in danger, but the animal being experimented

on is also sacrificed for an unreliable result. In other words, both animals and humans are

misled by unnecessary procedures and incorrect information.

Alternative methods should be given time and effort, rather than continuous animal

experimentation. According to the British Medical Journal, 90% of basic scientific discoveries,

the majority of which are based on animal experiments, fail in human treatments. Given the poor

success rate of animal research, it is difficult to justify inflicting such harms on both humans and

animals. Despite the availability of effective non-animal methods, scientists continue to torture

countless animals (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 2018). While the FDA

acknowledges that some areas of science still require animal testing, it supports efforts to find

alternative methods of testing and to make animal testing more humane. Non-animal methods for

antibody production, skin irritation and sensitization, eye irritation, endocrine disruption, and

tobacco product development and testing are readily available. Clearly, more work is needed to

overcome the translational failures associated with animal research, but by identifying and

probing the causes of these failures, as well as potential solutions, more effective alternative

approaches can be discovered.

Animal testing and research remain debated, because of the fact that they are required to

make products safe for human consumption or to advance medical knowledge and treatment of
human diseases. While medication is one of the primary reasons, People for the Ethical

Treatment of Animals (PETA) argue that testing drugs and products intended for humans on

animals is scientifically ineffective due to animal and human differences. Animal experiments,

they reckon, have no real impact on human health. In addition, numerous laws aimed at

preventing animal cruelty have been passed over time. One of those laws, the Preventing Animal

Cruelty and Torture Act (PACT), was signed into law by President Trump in November 2019,

making animal cruelty a federal crime. The physical and psychological harms experienced by

those who work in animal research, particularly those who care directly for research animals, are

much less widely recognized, but nonetheless significant. The American Psychiatric Association

considers animal cruelty to be an indicator of conduct disorder, a mental disorder in children and

adolescents characterized by behavioral and emotional problems. Thus, an individual exposed in

animal testing may have difficulty behaving in socially acceptable ways.

Animal testing is required to make products safe for human consumption or to advance

medical knowledge and treatment of human diseases. However, based on the evidence presented,

animal testing causes more harm than good. As a result, animal testing must be banned because it

violates animal rights. Animal experimentation is cruel, expensive, and unreliable, and can be

replaced with existing alternatives. The law and the research all point to the same purpose: to put

an end to unnecessary animal testing. Thus, supporting the end of animal testing can begin with

simple acts such as purchasing cruelty-free products, adhering to factory animal rights and

regulations, and spreading awareness about taking a stand against animal cruelty. All things

considered, every day is a fresh start for all living things, not just humans. Therefore, it is up to

the current generation to ensure that every new beginning is bright for everyone.
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Grace Hussain. (2023, January 4). Animal Testing: What You Don’t Know About It But Should -

Sentient Media. Sentient Media. https://sentientmedia.org/animal-testing/

Kretzer, M. (2018, July 17). Experiments on Animals Fail 90% of the Time. Why Are They Still

Done? PETA. https://www.peta.org/blog/experiments-on-animals-fail-90-of-the-time-why-are-

they-still-done/

Peta. (2018). Alternatives to Animal Testing | PETA. PETA; PETA.

https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/alternatives-animal-

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‌Rezk, O. A. (2021). Animal Testing. In K. H. Nemeh & J. L. Longe (Eds.), The Gale

Encyclopedia of Science (6th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 231-233). Gale.

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