They Have Feelings Too

Here is a video that I found rather interesting and while you are watching it think about this... Imagine being forced to move away from your home and from your family with no say in the matter. You are moved to an unfamiliar environment where you aren’t able to choose how you live your life. You don’t get to decide when or what you will eat. You can’t choose what you will do with your time and whom you will spend it with. You are confined into a small area and you are completely alone. These are the conditions that many animals are forced to live under. Animal testing is defined as the use of non-human animals in research and development projects (dictionary.com). All kinds of animals such as rabbits, dogs, mice, and guinea pigs are used to test the safety of food additives, industrial chemicals, cosmetics, drugs, household products and much more. Universities, pharmaceutical companies, and medical schools are examples of institutions that use animal testing.

History

Dating back to ancient times, animals have been used in research to advance biomedical sciences. However, the ways the human race can exploit these living creatures are absolutely evil. The main concern animal rights advocates have are not concerned with the idea of using animals in research but the way people can torture these animals. The twentieth century has witnessed some of the cruelest acts of violence in the laboratory but it has also seen the rise of the animal rights movement. Cruelty will always exist in this world, in some form or another, but hopefully it can be abolished from the laboratories.

The Debate

The debate about using animals for medical testing has been ongoing for years. The struggle is usually between extreme animal rights activists and scientists. The animal rights activists believe animals should never be used for research, and the scientists believe any use of animals is acceptable. In ancient Greece animals were used for the study of life science. To learn about body functions scientists would cut into a live animal to observe vital parts in action. Animals have been used for centuries to help researchers understand the various organs of the body, and their functions as well as to improve their surgical skills. In the nineteenth century a rise in biomedical research subsequently increased the number of animals used in experiments. In the 1970’s the animal rights movement erupted on a grand scale.

Closer Then You Think

From when you are a baby to when you are an adult animal testing is used in your everyday products. From the Pampers you put on as a baby and the Johnson and Johnson you are washed with, to when you are older the Febreeze, Sunsilk, and Gillette you use. Animal testing surrounds you in every act of life. The guess is around 100 million animals are used worldwide in animal testing. Animal testing is rooted from natural curiosity, how the insides of a living organism operate and look is an interesting idea. Since the dissection of humans was illegal by the Roman Church, animals were the second best option for knowledge of living organisms. The debate surrounding the idea of animal testing is a very heated one. There are many alternating opinions to whether it should be prohibited or not because they are living organisms.

Hey class,
For my blog, I have chosen animal testing as my topic. Through my blog I will be writing about the basic information, history, controversy, and limits of animal testing. Whether you realize it or not, Animal testing is an issue in today's society that and it does affect each of us.  Lets hope you all enjoy it reading about it and learn something.


Bailee Eckley