Animal Testing For Medical Purposes?

Question

I know there are people out there who protest (sometimes very violently) about animal testing, even in cases of when the testing is to further our knowledge and treatment of Cancer, HIV/AIDS etc. What would these people do if they or their young child became ill with a life threatening disease whose cure/treatment had been tested on animals? Would they refuse help and martyr themselves or accept and be a hypocrite? Any real life experience/knowledge of this would be interesting to hear.

Lorenzo Steed - while I commend your passion and zealous attitide, your answer did not really have much to do with my question, did it? I believe that your statement about pets being stolen out of peoples gardens is rather a foolish statement to make, lab animals are generally born in the lab and they die in the lab. Kids - watch out for evil scientists in white coats stealing your highland terriers and hamsters! And Lorenzo - answer the question - don't spout your naive, one sided fluffy arguments.

Answer 1

When my mother was dying of cancer when I was little she told of "of course it makes sense to let a medicine be tested on a rat...."

I agree regarding medicine and supervised experiments.

I am a little bit reluctant when it comes to the animal testing of say.....shampoo.........and they squirt shampoo in an animals eyes over and over to measure how irritating it is. I think at this point we have a good grasp of what items irritate our eyes and how to use shampoo correctly.

Violence is not the answer-EVER. Hurting others and damaging property only sends the message that YOU are out of control. Out of control people are not generally considered sensible. It's a poor way to communicate feelings.

Answer 2

If you are in favor of animal testing, I am willing to bet you have never seen exactly how animals are tested. You want to cure cancer and HIV? Fine. How about treating animals humanely?How about side effects of chemicals? Caustic compounds are squirted into the eyes of rabbits, so that the company can give you an informed notice "caution: if you get this in your eyes, it may cause blindness." Want to study concussion? How about strapping monkeys down and crushing their skulls while they are awake and unmedicated. Neat stuff, huh? Gee, and where do you think labs get their animals? Zoos, black market peddlers.
After the supply of strays, and shelter unwanteds run low, lets go shopping at the puppy mills! There's a nice outing for an afternoon. And in a pinch, just steal pets from peoples' yards! Easy pickings and good money too. There are ways of getting the same results without the cruelty and suffering, and the promulgation of corrupt and illegal "supply businesses." But that takes enforcement. That takes laws that can only come about if enough people are aware of the truth and reality of the current animal testing plight and demand change.

"Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals, and the answer is: 'Because the animals are like us.' Ask the experimenters why it is morally OK to experiment on animals, and the answer is: 'Because the animals are not like us.' Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction."
-Professor Charles R. Magel

Now show us YOUR data.

Answer 3

We all know that things can go terribly wrong with drugs after being tested on animals. Look at the case not long ago when the people testing the drugs nearly died, yet they had been previously tested on animals.
I totally disagree with animal testing, we are not the same species as them so there is never total guarentee.
I think that all these pedo's child molesters and pervs in prison should be used instead, they cant be rehabilitated no one can when they harm a child w have no use for them to be let out back into society, so use them, atleast they are the same species. My mum has brest cancer my dad has diabetes and other illnesses yet they both agree with me. Would you be a human dummy to try a drug that was tested on animals you could find yourself in intesive care like the previouse lot.

Answer 4

This is such a difficult concept.

I don't think animal testing is right at all. I'm a vegetarian and I really disagree with any kind of animal cruelty. It is totally sick. It is never going to be right.

But if, for arguments sake, we were in a situation where it was the only thing that could potentially save one of my family members, then I wouldn't argue with it.

I still think it's horribly wrong. I still think we have no right to do this. But that's the thing with ethics- you can believe that something is totally immoral in principle, but in practise that doesn't always mean you'd oppose it.

We all have people we care about, and to put that in opposition with our belief system is very tricky. I can't imagine anyone saying they'd diasallow something that could save their own child's life, whatever that thing is. This doesn't mean it would be "right" or have any real ethical grounding, but we'd be willing to over-ride that because there is something more precious to us at stake.

EDIT- As for all the arguements re: whether or not it's effective, or there are safe alternatives, I don't know enough about that to argue with any conviction. I am basing my argument on the assumption that it were in fact the ONLY way. That maybe isn't the case, but I'm just examining it from a theoretical perspective.

Answer 5

For medical purposes, I would regretfully have to say that there is no other way. I believe that only animals produced for this purpose should be used though, as I have heard horror stories about people's pets being stolen for use in labs.
For cosmetic reasons, there is absolutely no need for animal testing - we all know if you squirt a chemical into your eye it's going to damage it, we don't need to put an animal through pain to prove it.
I think a lot of these animal protesters are vastly mis-informed and do not always have the environment's best interest at heart - so blinded are they by their own agenda. I remember reading about a group of them who broke into a mink farm and set the whole lot free. I would never wear fur myself and feel disgust for anyone who does but these creatures went on the rampage and decimated a whole woodland and its wild bird population.

I think if any of these vigilantes or someone they loved were to fall ill, of course they would accept treatment, regardless of how that treatment was reached.

Answer 6

i totally agree with you, i love animals but a human life is more important than anything.

i don't have personal experience but when i was at college i remember a case where a child needed a blood transfusion and some kind of drug but the parents didn't want them to have it due to ethical reasons (not religious, that's a whole different story) .

the case went to court and the child was made a ward of court so the doctors could give the treatment even though it was against the parents wishes.

not exactly the same as your argument but surely human life should be more important than an animal.

i know for a fact that if there wasn't animal testing my little nephew would be dead but thanks to modern medicine and animal testing he's a happy and healthy 5 year old.

it will be interesting to hear anyone who disagrees with you and if they have any experience to back up their belief.

Answer 7

i think of it rather is suited if the expenses outweigh the advantages. from time to time it rather is mandatory to apply animal finding out as a manner to purpose if the product is desirable for human beings and if it rather is sucessful, hundreds of thousands of lives could desire to be saved. positioned it this type, i might completely settle for the experimental deaths on some mice if it bring about a drug that killed maximum cancers cells. in the western worldwide animal finding out is plenty extra humane besides so i do no longer see a issue with it. wish this helps :)

Answer 8

Totally agree with you mate, I have four children and would be devastated if they stopped the testing of drugs just because some soap dodging hippies think that the lab bread animals being tested on are more important than a child's life

Answer 9

I think animals should be tested on, we all saw the massive mess up that occured when humans had a drugs trial go wrong! and i don't think that animals are more inportant than humans.

Answer 10

A very interesting question my guess would be they would take the drugs