Mendez 1

Eduardo Mendez
Professor Batty
English 28
14 December, 2016

Human Life, or Animal Life

Animal testing is the use of non-human animals in experiments that seek to control the
variables that affect the behaviors, or biological systems, under study. Arguments have been
made that claim animal testing is cruel and inhumane, people say animals go through so much
pain while being used for animal testing and that animal testing should be stopped, but I believe
that animal testing is necessary medical improvement. The California Biomedical Research
Association states that nearly every medical breakthrough in the last 100 years has resulted
directly from research using animals(1). There are many specific reasons why we need animal
testing, including its role in medical breakthroughs and saving human life. The similarities
between animals and humans are so many that animal testing is the most logical way to
experiment with new medicine. Without animal experiments, diseases like heart bypass surgery,
organ transplants, cancer, and vaccines would not have been developed. The insulin to cure
diabetes was by animal testing. Using animals as experiments helps develop different treatments
and also helps find safer ways for treatments. There are still so many things trying to be cured
and there trying to find that cure through animal testing. Animal testing is the only accurate way
to test supplements without harming the human body.
Animal testing has been around for more than a century and has already given us numerous
benefits. For example, animal testing is responsible for the discovery of insulin and saving the

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lives of many diabetics. The cure for diabetes was found through a dog. They found that if a you
take the pancreas out of a dog, the dog gets diabetes but if you tie the duct through were the
juices through the juices would touch the intestine the dog god no diabetes(Mering 7). They tried
the same process on humans and it worked. Animal research has enabled us to find treatments
for cancer, antibiotics for infections, vaccines to prevent some of the most deadly and
debilitating viruses and surgery for injuries, illnesses and deformities (Fisher 1). Animal research
doesn't just benefit and help humans though. According to the Committee on the Use of Animals
in Research, animals also have improved healthcare and a longer lifespan. Farm animals,
household pets, wild species and endangered species are all benefiting from the research
conducted through animals (14). Anyone could believe animal testing only helps humans, but
what many people do not know is that animal testing also helps animals in many ways. Animals
share the same disease as humans, like cancer, high blood pressure, epilepsy, asthma and many
other common diseases. With the testing some animals could be taking the right medication and
actually help them out with these diseases.
Animal testing is still being used today for new procedures in medicine like researching cures
for multiple sclerosis and certain cancers, as well as new diseases like AIDS. There is about 28
million people die with aids and HIV and 4 million are children at the age of 15.Between
800,000 and 900,000 people in the US are living with HIV. The cure for multiple ssclerosis is
also trying to be found by the way of animal testing. According to National Multiple Sclerosis
Society every day one third of every American confront the effects of multiple sclerosis, by the
end of 2006 the National Multiple Sclerosis Society would have spent 500 million dollars trying
to find the cure for MS and that includes animal testing(The MS Information Sourcebook). They

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would continue to try to look for the cure for MS and will use animal testing as part of finding
the cure for animal testing.

Animals and humans are very similar, so animal testing allows us to save lives. I understand
why people get upset about animal testing because of the possible harm to the test subjects,
animal cruelty can be inhumane and cruel. According to Humane Society international animals
are forced to do many things while being worked on. Animals are forced to eat drink and inhale
all kinds of different stuff. If the animals dont cooperate they restrain them for hours while test
are being run on them.(Humane Society International). Even though all this goes on while a
animal is being tested on, I think animal testing is still necessary. Animal testing is saving
millions of lives and going against animal testing will kill millions of people.
Animals testing have showed results and I believe it is going to continue to show results
and save millions of more live. It has saved lives of many diabetics of numerous of people with
different cancers. Animal testing is necessary in this world is either the lives of the animals or the
life of the humans. I think sacrificing animals is okay to find cures for desises and viruses like
diabetes. Therefore that's why I believe animal testing should be legal even though it is cruel and
inhuman, human life should be over animal lifes.

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California Biomedical Research Association, "CBRA Fact Sheet: Why Are Animals Necessary in
Biomedical Research?," ca-biomed.org (accessed Oct. 15, 2013)
Science, Medicine, and Animals. Washington, D.C.: National Academy, 1991. Print.
Thorsons Von Mering J & Minkowski O (1889) Diabetes mellitis nach pankreas extirpation.
Archiv EHumane Society International, "About Animal Testing," hsi.org (accessed Oct. 15,
2013)xp 71