How do you feel about animal experimentation?

Question

I was reading a question about PETA and it got me thinking. So I ask this.

I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT COSMETICS!!! or anything either, I am talking about life saving medical experiments

Sub Question: if you claim to be completely against it, how do YOU justify losing 10 human lives testing this new "cancer curing drug" instead of losing 10 mice.

Now, people please no fighting with each other here either. I know it's a touchy subject. I'm looking for your opinion don't go attacking others for theirs please.

Answer 1

Definitely needed. If it means the difference in having a cure for diseases and such. I think it's ok for a few animals to give their lives in order to save humans or even other animals. If we didn't have it, we wouldn't be where we are today in terms of medicine.

Answer 2

My first thought was no for the cosmetic industry, but then right after that thought came advances in medical science.  It has to be done.  Human beings are used as guinea pigs (by their own choice) to use experimental drugs for curing diseases.  The need for a cure is wanted so badly, the person with the disease doesn't care about the risks if it means a cure for them.  It is something that needs to be done for medical advancements.

Answer 3

I am against causing any form of "unnecessary" suffering to animals, so obviously I am against testing cosmetics etc on animals.

However, it is currently necessary to use animals in medical and veterinary research.

Animals only make up a small proportion of all medical research, as a number of other methods are also used - including in-vitro studies, epidemiology, in-silico (computer modelling) etc.

However, these technologies are still imperfect and none is 100% accurate.

Scientists need to use a wide variety of methods when developing and safety testing new drugs, in order to get the most accurate understanding of them.

For the time being, animals are therefore a small but vital part of this process.

Fortunately, new methods are still being invented, and existing ones developed. Animal tests are already being replaced by alternatives. Eventually, animals will no longer be needed - and at that point animal testing should stop. But stopping animal research now would cripple medical research.

As for animals / humans being more important....

I don't exactly believe humans are more important than animals.

However, every species has an instinct to protect its own above all others. I think it is noble to want to save human life - even if that means using animals to do so.

And the number of animals used in research is actually very small compared to those that die in the food industry. For example - the number of chickens alone killed for consumption is every year is about 10 times more than all lab animals put together!

Another point to consider is that animal research can also benefit other animals!

Some research is specifically for veterinary medicines. And many drugs originally developed for human use are now successfully used to treat animals too.

So maybe if we learn how to cure cancer in humans, it would lead to a cure for cancer in our pets. Or if we cure HIV, we may then find a cure for FIV.

I understand not everybody feels this way about animal research - many are against it. That is fine.

Personally my only problem is with hypocrites.... people who moan about animal research whilst taking medicines themselves, or whilst eating their factory farmed, cruelly bred meat dinner.... At least they could try living by their own standards!

For more info check out:

http://www.nc3rs.org.uk/

http://www.medicalprogress.org/

http://www.rds-online.org.uk/pages/home....

Answer 4

I think it's good, and very necessary. If we didn't, we'd all be dead. Ok, not literally but there would be a lot fewer of us.

Answer 5

It's our only way to ever advancing in medicine. I am thankful for the millions of animals that gave up their lives in order to help with the advancements. I am pretty sure it helps out with animal medicine as well.