The use of animals in scientific research has been a point of conflict for a
long time.
On one hand, using animals in this way only for human gain is deemed
unethical. If animal research is required, it is not necessary for the sense
that we must conduct it. Rather, it is a decision we make, one that
supporters claim is a necessary means to the objective of future medical
progress. Such advancements are unquestionably morally significant, but
even if we accept the idea that animals are required for medical
development, this does not imply a moral justification.
The majority of animals used in research are killed at the end of the trial,
are held in settings that are harmful to their health, and are otherwise
injured in a variety of ways, including physical injuries, infectious diseases,
cancers, and psychological suffering. It is said that more than 100 million
animals, including mice, rats, frogs, dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea
pigs, monkeys, fish, and birds, are reportedly killed in American
laboratories each year for biology lessons, medical knowledge,
curiosity-driven experimentation, and chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics
testing. So if we acknowledge that animals have rights, then any
an experiment that violates an animal's rights is morally wrong, regardless of
the potential advantages to humanity.
Removing animals entirely from the lab, on the other hand, would restrict
our understanding of health and disease, and thus the creation of new and
important remedies. Many people and scientists believe that using animals
for research purposes is ethical as stopping animal research would also be
wrong in a way because it would majorly affect the progress of new
knowledge and the provision of treatments to individuals who are in severe
need of them. People also support animal testing because they believe that
painkillers and anesthetics are used to manage pain wherever feasible,
just as they are when an animal visits the veterinarian, which prevents the
animals from suffering. The alternative to using animals in the lab, would
also mean having to test new medications on humans, which would result
in researchers having a tough time finding interested volunteers who could
provide informed consent to participate in testing a new medicine that had
not been tested on animals.
Both sides of the conflict seem to have an equal share of pros and cons as
some may believe and continue believing that animal testing is justified
whereas some, most entailing of animal lovers will believe that
animal testing should be stopped as it is unethical. Now it’s up to you to
decide whether it’s ethical or not.