Essay, Research Paper: Animal Experimentation

Lab experimentation involving animals is inhumane. Animal testing is cruel because an animal s life is just as important as a human s life, people are exploiting animals, and animal testing doesn t show whether or not a product is safe for humans.
In laboratories around the world, scientists test a company s product on animals. Why do these companies test their products on animals? Many scientists would argue that it s more cost-efficient to test products on animals than on humans. Others say that they experiment on animals because animals are not as important as humans, which isn t necessarily true. Why should humans risk the death of animals for their own benefit? What makes a human s life any more valuable than any other creature s? Every creature on earth has one life to live, a common bond that all organisms share. Who is to say that one creature should have his one life taken away from him? This is different from eating another animal for survival purposes. Scientists do not need to test their products.
People are exploiting lab animals because of their inability to communicate with humans. The prominent English philosopher Jeremy Bentham, when commenting on animal testing, is quoted as having said, The question is not can they reason? nor can they talk? but can they suffer? . The answer to his question is yes. Historical information from animal observations show that animals do, in fact, suffer. Because of an animal s inability to communicate or reason, does that mean that humans have the right to decide their fate?
Testing a company s product on animals doesn t mean that it will necessarily be safe for humans. For example, the drugs Oraflex, Selacryn, Zomax, Meritol, and Suprol have produced side effects, even death, in humans. Results from animal testing predicted that the drugs would all be safe in humans. Why should scientists test products on animals when they don t predict safety of humans?
Lab experimentation with animals is wrong. An animal s life is just as valuable as a human s, scientists are exploiting animals can t communicate, and animal testing doesn t prove whether or not something may be safe for humans.