Is It Justified To Do Animal Testing If It Is To Produce Medicine?

Animal testing has been used for medicine dating back to the 12th century and has only been become an issue that is debatable in recent years. So, the big question: Is it justified to do animal testing if it is to produce medicine? My answer is YES.




Firstly, animal testing helps to save human lives. In 1796, Edward Jenner, an English doctor, carried out an experiment on a 8 year old farmer's boy, against Smallpox. He vaccinated the boy with cowpox, and this cured the boy. This is just one example of how animal testing to produce medicine saves lives. Hence, I think animal testing to produce medicine is justified.

Secondly, animals like cows are killed to make hamburgers for example, which is in turn consumed by us humans for survival. So while some people think that animal testing should not be done in any situation, they still eat meat. Hence, I think that animal testing for medical testing is justified because it is just killing animals in another way to benefit the survival of the human kind.

Of course, there are those who say that “they have a heart and animal testing is cruel”, however, what they could possibly fail to see is that animals which are being used a test subjects are mostly rats and mice (over 75%).

Photo Credit: Understanding Animal Research

Since rats are widely considered pests and will thus be killed anyway, is it not better to use rats for experimentation for the purpose of creating medicine instead?

This is another reason why I think animal testing for the purposes of creating medicine is justified.

In conclusion, I believe animal testing for the purposes of creating medicine is justified because it helps saves human lives. Most people eat food which contains products made from animals and do not seem to mind it at all. And finally, the types of animals which are mostly used for animal testing are rats, which are going to be killed anyway.

That is not to say I do not have a heart, I do, and I believe where animal testing can be avoided, it should. For example, to make leather bags and shoes- the leather can be substituted for faux leather.

So my stand is stop animal cruelty where possible (like supporting People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). However, just know that in some cases like creating medicine, it is mostly a necessity to do animal testing.