Should animals be used in medical research?

Answer 1

No....Absolutely NOT. They should use paid volunteers and criminal lifers!

Answer 2

I think that they should when the medical research is something being done for a serious illness. But, on the contrary, I absoloutley do not think that animals should be used as testers for cosmetics. Although I am a fan of makeup, this price is too large to pay for beauty. But when it's something more important like medical research, then I believe that it it usually okay.

Answer 3

Animal research has helped humankind, but it has also HURT it. Aspirin kills cats, for example, but can be a lifesaver for people who may have a tendency to develop blood clots that can stop their hearts.

Using animals for medical research is cruel, IMO. Why would I want to inflict suffering on another living being capable of feeling pain just as i am? If I was that selfish, I'd use people! After all, the results of the research would be more accurate and beneficial.

Answer 4

You know I am very much against animal testing for human products. There is enough research to prove that dogs, cats, monkeys, birds, and whatnot do not achieve the same effects that humans achieve. Take for instance if you have a canary, a cat, and a human. The cat may be fine in a mine shaft that is full of deadly toxins. Human goes in and they are dead. The canary just barely is placed into same said area and is dead of dying in a matter of moments. Human stays alive. (Coal miners in the 1800's used canaries to establish if a mine was safe to enter or not). Now also take into consideration that most animals do not have tear ducts in order to expell foreign objects like humans can. (Favorite animals in this test are smaller animals like mice, hamsters, rats, and rabbits). Because they go blind it is assumed that all animals will go blind. Humans however are able to shed "tears" in order to expell this waste. Now how can you say those are accurate results?

On the other hand though if you are testing vaccinations for an animal and are testing on THAT type of animal. You will come up with constant results and possibly a cure to an ailment. BUT just because the testing worked for that type of animal DOES NOT mean it will give the same results for a different type of animal. (i.e. diabetes medicine for a dog will not work properly if used on a dove or other type of bird). There are way too many variables.

In my opinion animal testing results should only be used to determine an antidote for that said animal type. Nothing tested on an animal (aside from a human) will have accurate results for a human. I hope I answered your question.

Answer 5

No, that would be a very cruel policy. Animals too have their rights and we ought to respect them...
The human brain can find another way for medical research trials..

Answer 6

I don't know becuase on the one hand I wouldn't want animals to be tortured but on the other i know that a loved one is way more important to me then any number of animals so if they were researching something like cancer and had a breakthrough that could save a member of my family I know that I could only care about that.

Answer 7

Let's look at it this way. Once upon a time, anyone could bottle any substance and sell it as a cure. Lithium, cocaine, opium- all of these substances were included in "cures". One famous case was a teething aid for babies- opium!
When the FDA was developed, its first task was to ensure that eveything on the US market was 1) SAFE- it would not kill you if used properly 2)EFFECTIVE- the drug must do what it is supposed to do.
How do you determine if it's safe?
In the US they do use animals- usually lab rats or mice- and determine the minimal effective dose and lethal dose. Trials take years to bring a new drug to market. The average cost of research on a new drug is TWELVE MILLION DOLLARS- and that is before it gets on the market! Once it gets to the point where humans test it they usually pay healthy human volunteers. In the case of rare diseases, people are so desperate they will volunteer. In childhood cancer, around 80-90% of children will be enrolled in a trial of some sort, as opposed to less than 20% of adults. We will do anything to save our children.
Cats and dogs are not used as much for drug testing purposes because they do not metabolize things the same way people do. So animals you may keep as a pet are not used as often. Sometimes they do use primates- and I am personally not as happy about that. I remember seeing awful old experiments from the 50s and 60s where monkeys were held bound and forced to inhale cigarette smoke so they could study the effect. NOT happy with that and in that respect I am glad groups like PETA stepped in.
That said- I lost half my family to diseases like cancer and heart attacks and stroke when I was a teen. My aunties and uncles hit forty and dropped like flies. Am I glad we now have drugs to prevent stroke and MI? DAMN STRAIGHT!
If I had cancer, would I care about the mice? Don't think so.

Bottom line- we need to know if drugs work, and we need animals to test our development. People must be protected from companies that make potentially harmful things (and herbals/supplements are worst because the FDA doesn't regulate them the same way, thank you Bill Clinton!).
But I believe the animals should be treated with respect and dignity as much as possible.

Answer 8

How stupid can people be? How many 1000's of people would die if not for medical research done with animals. What about we let all the animal rights people take their place.

Answer 9

Yes to save humans

Answer 10

No, even though similar physiology, rats are different from cats, are different from dogs, are different from humans. Just because testing on an animal gives some indication of what a particular medicine or procedure does in one species, it doesn't always correlate to what happens in another, there are differences and results are unpredictable from one species to another.

Answer 11

I know where you are coming from and I don't
like it either. When you think about it, how are
we going to learn if we don't use them. It's
a tough call and I don't want to make it. A lot
of animals suffer, but a lot of animals live
longer and happier lives because of it.