DEBATE TOPIC:

Some people think that scientists experimenting with animals in a laboratory is the only
way we can guarantee new products will be safe for human use. To what extent do you
agree or disagree with this opinion?
Disadvantages của animal experiment:
- Morally wrong for human benefit solely – the end never justifies the means:
 In laboratories, animals are separated their groups or packs, imprisoned in
cages, force-fed with chemicals and used as a tool irrespective of their natural
instincts.
 A lot of organizations, laboratories and brands today still conduct tests with
poor practice and regulation; namely Urban Outfitters or L’Oreal. Some
governments allow animals to be burned, shocked, electrocuted, poisoned,
isolated, starved, drowned, addicted to drugs, and brain-damaged. They also
come down to diseases like cancer, blindness, etc during procedures like
vivisection.
 For the experimental procedures, either a whole animal or its organs and
tissues are used. Therefore, animals can be killed during testing. If the animal
does survive by the end of the test, it will be put down to prevent further pain
and distress.
- It is inefficient:
 Animal experimentation is demands high costs, usually at a cost of hundreds,
thousands or millions of dollars per product. This is because animal
experimentation require high-tech devices and equipments to optimize the
procedure and ultimately, the result or product. Furthermore, most tested
animals are purpose-bred, which means they housed and raised for the sole
purpose of becoming a test subject in this context, others can be taken
directly from the wild, auctions, animal shelters. The cost which goes into
breeding a myriad of animals on a wide scale is undoubtedly astronomical,
animals acquired individually can cost higher due to lucrative desires.
 Since the aim of animal experiment is to ensure the safety of products, the
process of investigation can take up to years. This is because the intended
products is constituted by a combination of elements and factors. This
combination must be experimented to see if there is any unsafe factors that
can induce negative effects and its potential substitutes as well as human’s
reactions to the product’s mechanism via animals.
 Lastly, this form of testing requires skilled and resilient manpower. This
ensures that investigation can take less time so that the products can be
marketized as soon as possible. Also, only those equipped with adequate
knowledge is qualified for the job as this concerns with the well-being and the
survival of humankind. Resilience is another wanted factor because
 experimentation can result in failures and one must have this trait so that the
project can be continued.
 Given these requirements, it is safe to say that animal testing is ridiculously
expensive, time-consuming and selective in terms of individuals who conduct
the experiment. If the outcome transpired as a failure, it would be a huge
waste of money, time and manpower.
- It is not environmental-friendly:
 Owing to the substantial quantity of animals tested, the waste animal testing
engenders can be equal to that or sometimes, even higher. A healthy animal
disintegration may exert harmful substances to environment, let alone one
that is injected with various chemicals. It also costs a lot to transport and deal
with such waste.
- It can deliver inaccurate results:
 Animals like monkeys of cats may resemble us biologically in some aspects
but on a whole, they are from varying species and thus has varying biological
features that reacts differently to substances. Animal physiology can also be
affected by pain which may alter the outcome. Thus, it is difficult to devise a
product that is entirely safe and reliable for human use.
Alternatives to animal testing:
- Computer models and software like CADD or SARs, along with the available data
base on human’s information of biology can aid us in predictions, designing
medicines, cosmetics, etc. Simulation and artificial intelligence helps to project
the reactions to a product and its effects. This method is faster and relatively less
expensive than animal experimentation.
- Experiments on cells and tissues which are grown in labs or donated can be
used in toxicology and efficacy tests of drugs, cosmetics, chemicals, etc. This
approach is easy to follow, less time-consuming and costly.
- Alternative organisms like fungi, microorganisms