Humanity is still standing on its feet and growing stronger every day because of extreme research procedures permitted on animals. Without extreme animal experimentation, humanity would be a memory like the dinosaurs. Animal experimentation has provided endless medical benefits and advancement. This pushes extinction out of mankind’s territory.
Where does that pill come from? How was this shot discovered? Animals have enabled us to cure cancer, perform heart surgery, eradicate smallpox, treat diabetes and AIDS and create thousands of vaccines to treat diseases, like tetanus, rubella, anthrax and rabies. We can now comprehend the biological clock of tuberculosis, malaria and typhus, and have the proficiency to perform surgery and organ transplants.
These medical advancements save millions of lives. They allow people to breathe longer, enjoy life to the fullest and be with those they love most. If a loved one was laying on their deathbed and struggling for life, would you not want a cure – even one that can be found through animal experimentation – to save them?
Extreme animal testing is cruelty to animals, but it is immensely cruel leaving millions of innocent human beings to die helplessly, particularly while knowing that treatment is possible. For humanity to continue, medication is essential. Without these extreme animal experiments, humanity would not be where it is today. It is a beastly act, but there is a noble purpose. Animals do not do anything to us, but they can do a tremendous amount for us, for the sake of that loved one that desperately needs their help.
Some question why scientists do not find a non-living substitute for animals in these extreme procedures. Living organisms are intensely complex structures and scientists still have a vague understanding of the functions and structure of the countless proteins, blood cells and pathways of animals and humans. In order to deeply study this field, organisms that have these traits (particularly mice and rats) are vital. Their sequenced genomes have proven there are more similarities than differences between human and animals.
There is a limit to what a non-living experimental model can do, and a line where no model can replace a living organism. Current technologies to generate computer programs and other mechanisms that depict the body of living organisms have not evolved, leaving an animal essential for some experiments. Scientists start with basic knowledge, which leads to highly complex ideas that must be analyzed through more extreme research procedures.
It is often overstated that animals are not closely related enough to humans, making the use of animals to determine human characteristics cruel and pointless. Yet mice share 98 per cent of their DNA with humans. Chimpanzees are 99 per cent genetically similar to humans. All mammals share the same type of organs because they are descendants of common ancestors. The structures and functions are analogous.
If a loved one was laying on their deathbed and struggling for life, would you not want a cure – even one that can be found through animal experimentation – to save them?
Because humans and animals are greatly biologically related, they are vulnerable to many of the same diseases (like cancer, diabetes and heart disease). Some animals have biological similarities to humans that make them particularly good models for specific diseases, such as rabbits for atherosclerosis and monkeys for polio.
Some argue the results of animal experimentation do not pertain to humans and waste precious animals’ lives. Chris Abee, director of the University of Texas’ animal research facility, says a vaccine for hepatitis B (Thalidomide) would not exist without chimpanzees. Abee says chimps are the best weapon for discovering a hepatitis C vaccine, a disease that kills thousands of Americans every year. Before the legalization and release of Thalidomide, its potential to cause serious birth defects would not have been detected if it was not first tested on pregnant animals.
Others might think that animal experimentation does not benefit animals. However, animals have helped saved the lives of millions of other animals after vaccines were tested on them. Animal vaccines to treat tetanus, feline AIDS, anthrax, rabies, distemper and hepatitis have helped cure other animals. Pacemakers were developed through animal testing to benefit animals. Extreme animal procedures are a major contributor to saving many endangered species from going completely extinct – like the tamarins of Brazil, the black-footed ferret and the California condor.
Some wonder why animals must endure pain so humans do not have to. But it is acceptable to experiment on animals because they have no rights. They lack the moral judgment and cognitive ability humans have. Animals can be handled differently than humans, which has always been the case in the past and across cultures.
Scientists do their best to ensure animal safety. Since 1966, research using animals has been monitored in Canada by the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Guidelines must be followed, including those pertaining to enclosure size, food and water safety and temperature. The act also enforces regular inspections by veterinarians. In order to use animals in testing, confirmation must come from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and proper humane treatments are enforced by the by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC).
In order to reduce the amount of pain to animals, it is mandatory that researchers follow these a set of rules, known as the three R’s: replace animals using other techniques when possible; reduce the amount of animals used by sharing data with other scientists and improving experimental methods and refine the manner in which the animals are treated to lessen pain and stress, by performing less extreme procedures when possible.
Extreme animal procedures are the key to the survival of humans and are justifiable as they pave the way for biomedical advancement, remarkably benefitting the world as it leads to medical breakthroughs that can save thousands of lives. It is a cruel act, but leaving mankind fall victims to illnesses is an even more brutal act.
By Sunika Singh
Please note that opinions expressed are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and values of The Blank Page
