Editorial: End animal testing

Katie Jones, Reporter

A mouse is one of the most common animals used in the lab. More than one million animals, including mice are killed in labs a year for testing reasons. (AP Images)

Cruel animal experiments are performed to try to find solutions to medical issues, but primarily result in the harming of animals.

Animals, like humans, are living organisms that should not have to sacrifice their lives for the dominant species.

Often the drugs that pass animal tests are not necessarily safe for humans. For example, Thalidomide, the sleeping pill released in the 1950’s, did not result in deformities in pregnant animals, but caused 10,000 babies to be born with birth defects and caused more than 27,000 deaths relating to heart malfunctions.

This proves that a human’s biology cannot be compared to that of an animal’s. Using animals to test products for humans will not ensure safety for people, so why test on animals?

In addition to the fact that testing on animals only works a small percentage of the time, testing on animals is inhumane. PETA explained that the animals are often stuck in small cages where they are basically waiting to die, used in experiments where they are poisoned, shocked, and burned by vivisectors.

If that is not enough to prove why humans have no right on implementing such cruel behavior on animals, realize that there are alternatives to experimenting on animals and there are ways to test without hurting animals. According to Cruelty Free International, cell structures can be grown in labs, simulating that of an actual human.

In addition to growing cells, donated human tissue after a person dies, a skin transplant is performed, and more also serves as a phenomenal tester. The Draize skin irritation test on rabbits predicts reactions in humans only 60% of the time, whereas a reconstructed skin graph is 86% accurate.

The few milestones in medical history do not make up for the millions of animals caged and killed for inhumane experiments. Animals are just as entitled to a chance at life as humans are, so to take part in protecting animals, fill out the form to send to your representative in congress from PETA.