Persuasive essay.

Sheridan Logsdon

1-05-11

3/4

Animal Testing Persuasive Essay

“The question is not, ‘Can they reason?’ nor, ‘Can they talk?’ but rather, ‘Can they suffer?’”  ~Jeremy Bentham, an English utilitarian philosopher and social reformer. (www.quotegarden.com).  Imagine being locked in a cramped metal cage, only to be injected with toxic chemicals a while later.  A wide variety of animals endure the pain of harsh chemical tests.  Most of these tests are for cosmetics and household items anyways.  Animals shouldn’t have to die because humanity’s selfishness.  According to the group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), “More than 100 million animals every year suffer and die in cruel chemical, drug, food and cosmetic tests, biology lessons, medical training exercises, and curiosity-driven medical experiments.”( www.peta.org/)

Animal testing affects a wide variety of animals. This includes dogs, rabbits, primates, guinea pigs, cats, birds, fish, pigs, horses, sheep, hamsters, and most commonly, rats and mice.  Animals are used in many different tests. Many of which people believe aren’t necessary. "For the medical profession vivisection has been a curse, as well as a hindrance instead of an aid towards increasing our knowledge."~ Dr. John Bowie, a scientist at CAAT (Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing.) One of the tests performed on animals is called the Draize eye test.  In 1994, a scientist at the FDA, John H. Draize, Ph.D, invented this.  This test is usually done on rabbits.  The substance is placed in one of the rabbits eyes, their eyes are then evaluated after one hour to see what damage is done.  Due to this horrid experiment, rabbits suffer from many affects including redness, bleeding, ulcers, and sometimes blindness. Animal testing is used to make sure that products are safe for humans to use.  However, there are other solutions to this problem than just animal cruelty. "Animal experimentation is not necessary. It is expensive. It is inaccurate. It is misleading. It consumes limited resources. And further, it is detrimental to the very species it professes to be working to help -- humankind."~ Dr.s Ray & Jean Greek, Sacred Cows and Golden Geese. (www.ohsukillsprimates.com).  When some people say that animal testing is wrong, others argue, “If we don’t test on animals, how do we know if our products are safe?”  There are a few solutions to fix this problem.

 One of the solutions of the ending of the malicious testing is to test on animals for medical purposes only.  This way we would still have a way of making sure that our medications are safe, but not as many animals would be affected.  Only 6% of animal testing is used for medical purposes.  The other 94% is used strictly for testing household items and cosmetics.  How would you feel if your precious pet was taken away and tortured in horrendous lab tests?  This would save needless suffering of millions of animals each year.  Too many animals die for pointless reasons.  

The second solution to this problem is to use only natural elements in manufactured products. "The reason why I am against animal research is because it doesn't work, it has no scientific value and every good scientist knows that."~ Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, M.D., 1986, Head of the Licensing Board for the State of Illinios, paediatrician & gynaecologist for 30 years, medical columnist & best-selling author, recipient of numerous awards for excellence in medicine. Many scientists agree that animal testing isn’t accurate, so, cutting it out completely might be the best solution.  If you use all natural ingredients, you don’t have to make sure they are safe, because you already know that it is healthy ingredients. This is a good solution because not only does it help the animals not be part of the tests, it is also healthier for yourself, and the environment.  Instead of using manmade chemicals and unhealthy toxins, it would be so much better to use things that come naturally from the earth. If you can’t find everything you need in a product in a natural environment, why can’t you just use the chemicals and drugs that have already tested safe?

There is no reason to make innocent animals suffer. Locking them up in cramped cages is erroneous. “God loved the birds and invented trees.  Man loved the birds and invented cages.”  ~Jacques Deval ,French playwright and director. (www.quotegarden.com)  Many animals are killed after their tests and observations. If everyone just uses animal testing for medical purposes and not cosmetics, we could decrease the amount of tortured animals by millions!  To make sure that the cosmetics are still safe we can use either use only natural ingredients or use the ingredients that have already tested safe.   We need to stop treating animals horribly!  Everyone deserves a life!