Whenever you wash your hands, get a vaccine or wash your hair, you are using products that have gone through extensive testing. You may not realise the 4.67 billion dollar industry behind the creation of those products. Animal testing is one of the main ways cosmetic products and medical products are tested to make sure they are safe for people to use. Although there are many laws against unnecessary testing and keeping animals in cruel conditions, no punishments are put in place for the testing and only a small amount of protecting in necessary for it to be legal.

The benefits of animal testing do exist and in past we didnt have as sophisticated instruments to test that products are safe, animal testing was the “only option”. If we had not tested on animals we would have no life saving vaccines like the polio vaccine which was tested on monkeys, mice and rabbits. Many people argue in favor of animal testing, due to the medical benifits it produces. According to an article by Mike Crystal,"Research on dogs in which the animals' pancreases were removed led to the discovery of insulin in the early 20th century." Insulin was a very important discovery that saved many people with diabetes which eventually led to the creation of insulin needles and pumps. Nowadays we have alternatives to animal testing, called vitro testing. Vitro testing is using human cells rather than live animals. Although its much more humane, testing on human cells is different than testing how a live animal reacts physically and mentally, which is why many people support animal testing.

But of course what you see on the surface isnt always at the conditions the animals live in you would see the unesisry cruelty caused by animal testing. Animals like cats, dogs, mice, rats, and rabbits are kept in small metal grid bottom cages. They are only let out for the purpose of testing which not only causes stress on their bodies but also affects their mental health. Many animals kept in these cages are seen to go crazy, due to the small space and bad conditions. According to Infobase, "Animal testing is not morally justified. Human beings have no right to use animals as if they are disposable, even in the name of science." Although many people believe that animal testing is necessary because of medical benifits, animals are also tested on unnecessarily for cosmetic production and just out of scientific curiosity that provides no benefits to our daily lives. But now animal testing isn’t the only option because of new alternatives. Scientific research has proven that vitro testing is beneficial because it takes less time than regular testing, has greater accuracy and is much more price efficient. A vitro test can cost up to 11,000 USD, while on the other hand an average animal test costs up to 32,000 USD. 

In my opinion there is no reason or excuse in today’s society to do animal testing instead of the alternatives.  If humans want something like makeupmedical resources it's our responsibility to make it safe and suffer the consequences of what we want made rather thananimals. Just because an animal can’t talk for itself doesn't mean we are free to use it for our own benefit. In conclusion, animals are still being tested for human benefit and probably will be for many years to come. People have many different opinions on whether or not animal testing should be legal. Although this practice is outdated, cruel and unfair, a lot of people will continue to support animal testing.

Works Cited:

Crystal, Mike. "Pros and Cons of Animal Testing." Sciencing, 6 Aug. 2018, sciencing.com/animal-testing-pros-cons-8012597.html. Accessed 18 May 2022.

Infobase. “Is Animal Testing Morally Justified?” Issues and Contriversies. 14 Jan. 2020, icof.infobase.com/articles/QXJ0aWNsZVRleHQ6MTY0OTM=?q=animal%20testing.

Peta. “Alternitives to animal testing” peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/

alternatives-animal-testing/#:~:text=These%20alternatives%20to%20animal%20testing,and%

0studies%20with%20human%20volunteers. Accessed 18 May 2022.