The use of animals in scientific research has been a common practice since the ancient Greek and Roman times. Animals have been used for studies and experiments that allow mankind to evolve through knowledge gained by science. Using animals as test subjects has allowed humanity to discover cures for diseases such as Polio, Smallpox, and Hepatitis in the form of vaccines. Scientific breakthroughs were also able to be made because of the use of animals as test subjects. For example, in the eighteenth century an English physician by the name of William Harvey uncovered the principle of circulation in organisms through vivisection. Vivisection is the dissecting of organisms for medical purposes. Because of the roles the animals he used played in his research, he was able to discover the bases of how the human body functions and in turn aid other scientists in unlocking the mysteries held within them. Although, there are people who are against the use of animals in scientific research, they are known as animal right activists. They believe that the use of animals for experimentation is immoral and unethical (Driscoll, Sally, and Laura Finley). However, the utilization of animals in research has led to many medical advances that have benefited humanity and should be practiced despite activist's reservations.
Scientists have made great medical advances because of their work with animals and it is important that they continue to do so. For example, diseases such as Polio, Tuberculosis, Malaria, and Smallpox have treatments as a result of studies and tests conducted on animals. If animals were not used to test the vaccines developed for these diseases they could still exist today and thousands of people could perish. There are also diabetics, if animals had not been used to test the drugs needed for diabetes, none of them would survive either. Even life saving surgery would be rare and painful because of the lack of anesthesia. There are even medications that treat animals' ailments such as Rabies, Tetanus, Feline Leukemia, and Hepatitis. The treatments that were developed for these illnesses were discovered through animal experimentation. Animal testing is an important part of medical research and is used to benefit all types of animals, not just humans. If this type of medical research is cut off, then all species would be subject to the death and suffering of diseases rather than the few animals that were killed in an attempt to find the cure. Animals play a vital role in the well being of not only us, but all living creatures (George, Patricia, and Geraldine Wagner).

Animal rights activists might argue that animals are no longer needed for scientific research, that more data is collected through technology and simulations (Wright, George, and Steve Hoagland). This is true, there are many cases in medical research where the use of laboratory animals are not necessary. However, there are still cases where animals are needed to conduct experiments and tests because simulations will not suffice. For example, if a student is attending a school to become a doctor, that student will need to practice on a physical organism rather than a simulation to learn how to perform surgery properly. They would not be able to learn what they need to know for surgery by just passing a simulated test. This student would need hands on experience, which is where animals would come into play. The same could be said for a student learning studying to become a pilot, he or she would need hands on experience and not just a simulation. These are just a few examples of how animal experimentation has contributed to science and how imperative their role is to its advancement despite all the use of technology (George, Patricia, and Geraldine Wagner).

Animal right activists state that animal testing is immoral, cruel, and wrong, but research animals are treated humanely. One common example of cruelty they use in debate is an incident that occurred in 1983 where 150 baboons suffered from head injuries because they were used in an experiment to test whiplash during a car accident (Wright, George, and Steve Hoagland). However, what they fail to point out is that these incidents are rare occurrences because there are several laws in place that require laboratory animals to be treated and cared for humanely (George, Patricia, and Geraldine Wagner). One of these laws is called the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 that requires the regulation of the treatment of animals used for scientific purposes (Driscoll, Sally, and Laura Finley). Also, there are several amendments in place that require scientists to regulate how laboratory animals are housed, provided with veterinarian care, and relieved of their pain after an experiment has been conducted. Each research facility has its own animal care program that oversees, inspects, and monitors experiments to ensure the best animal care is provided. Animals used for experimentation are treated better now than ever before. Activists say that test animals are mistreated, but in order for there to be quality research conducted, the test subjects(s) must be content, healthy, and well cared for. Researchers do not intentionally inflict pain on test subjects unless they absolutely must and even then they keep the pain down to as minimal as possible. Researchers are even required by law to make test animal's deaths if they need to be killed as painless as possible (George, Patricia, and Geraldine Wagner).

Animal right activists also argue that humans think themselves better than other creatures and they are treated unjustly. They state that each year 50-100 million animals are killed worldwide in experiments used for research (Wright, George, and Steve Hoagland). This is true, however, 95% of those animals used for testing purposes are mice and rats. These are the type of animals that are considered rodents and killed if found in a household. Why would activists care so much about the “mistreatment” of these creatures when they are being killed in even larger quantities of numbers every day in people's own homes. At least when the rats and mice are in a laboratory they are being used for a superior purpose. In laboratories the animals might be killed, but it is no different than if they were to be brutally attacked and devoured by a predator in the wild, at least when these creatures are used for scientific purposes they are provided with a more sedentary lifestyle (George, Patricia, and Geraldine Wagner). Activists also say that when people are asked if they would rather sacrifice themselves for research purposes or the lives of 12 mice that they would choose the mice. They say that we value our lives over those of the animals'. This is true, but it is no different than humans being the predators and they the prey. In nature species defend their own kind. You never see a bear sacrificing its life to save a deer, it's just the Darwin Theory. If those 12 mice were given the option to choose whether or not they died or a human for medical research purposes, it seems clear that they would want to save themselves. However, humans are the more advanced beings and the mice do not have that option. Humans are the dominant species and have the capacity to decide immoralities, which is why there is this debate about the morality of animals being used for medical research purposes. In addition, activists say that scientists could experiment on willing humans rather than helpless animals (Wright, George, and Steve Hoagland). However, if researchers were to do that, they would have few volunteers and research would decrease drastically. Not many people would be willing to be tested on. Great medical advances have been made in the past century and a half with the use of animals. Take them away and that quick advancement comes to a near halt. Animals are so vital to scientific research because they can reproduce more rapidly than humans and in larger quantities, making them valuable research subjects and imperative to scientific advancements. This is another one of the reasons people consider animals to be better test subjects than humans and why they consider themselves more important (Driscoll, Sally, and Laura Finley).

The use of animals in research has led to numerous medical advances and should not be stopped because of activist's reservations. These laboratory animals are treated better than they would be in the wild, despite what animal right activists are saying (Driscoll, Sally, and Laura Finley). Activists state that holding these creatures against their will and conducting experiments on them is wrong and cruel (Wright, George, and Steve Hoagland), but what they fail to mention is that they are treated extremely well. There are laws in place that require scientists to treat their test subjects humanely, one such law is the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 (Driscoll, Sally, and Laura Finley). Activists are rallying to completely eradicate the use of animals from medical researches (Wright, George, and Steve Hoagland). However, these test animals are important for medical and other scientific advances and have been since the ancient Greek and Roman times (Driscoll, Sally, and Laura Finley). Researchers can't rely completely on simulations and technology for accurate results, occasionally they have to do some hands on work. However, whenever they do, they treat their test subjects with care not only because of the laws in place, but because the best way to collect quality data is from content, healthy, and well cared for animals. They are not being as poorly mistreated as animal right activists are portraying (George, Patricia, and Geraldine Wagner). Animals should continue to be utilized for scientific research purposes despite activists’ beliefs.