The young innocent chimpanzee leaned against the iron rods surrounding his cage, oblivious to what would transpire in the next fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, the experimental psychologist was busy at his desk, calculating formulas for his solution. He just can’t wait to come out with a scientific breakthrough.
Animal experimentation is the use of animals under controlled laboratory conditions for a variety of scientific and medical purposes. The use of animals in research has met a myriad of arguments in favour of it and counter arguments. Animal rights activists are cogently pressing for the abolishment of animals in experiments on the grounds that it is immoral, cruel, and unnecessary whereas some scientists are maintaining that animal experimentation is the key to sustaining the health of the human race. The detailed arguments of these factions are espoused below.
According to the Scientific Steering Committee for the European Commission, “experiments on live animals are powerful ways of better understanding the complex biological mechanisms of the human body”. Scientists, for that matter psychologists use animals to investigate the biological processes in humans and animals, figure out the causes of diseases, and to examine the effects of certain drugs, vaccines, etc. Through experimentation on animals, scientists have come out with uncountable remedies for diphtheria, tetanus, rabies, whooping cough, tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, measles, etc. for instance, in the 2nd century AD, a Roman Physician named Galen experimented on pigs and apes to demonstrate that veins carry blood, not air as had been believed. This development enlightened successive scientists on how to go about issues with respect to the veins.
About 7 percent of animals are used in researches conducted by Psychologists. (Christensen, 1994). This percentage covers animals like rats, rodents, monkeys, etc. it is estimated that about 18-22 million animals are used in the United States, out of which 90 percent are rats, mice, and birds. The fact is these animals are in abundance, easily accessible, and financially effective.
With reference to Darwin’s theory of evolution, which basically holds that most organisms can be traced to a common ancestry, and thus share certain similarities. Of course, humans and primates share similar physiological traits like nails, central nervous system, mammary glands, and hands and feet. And looking at the biological traits, it is been found that the Chimpanzee DNA matches 98.7 percent of human DNA. Thus, animals can be used as models for the betterment of humans.
Moreover, the law of parsimony states fundamentally, that to understand complex things, it is vital and necessary to grasp basic or simpler ones first. Therefore, to understand the complicated biological and social make-up of humans, it is necessary to use animals. Well, it is astonishing to note that people clamour for animal rights when they feed their stomachs with huge meats and wear fashionable leather belts!
Anyway, what are the arguments of the Animal Activist Groups?
To start with, they argumentatively express that animals and humans would be similar, but they basically not the same! They further argue that animal experimentation is a gross infringement of the rights of animals and that it is tantamount to slavery.
All species that can feel pain and suffering deserve equal consideration. One English Philosopher, Jeremy Bentham argued, “Is not can they (animals) reason, nor can they talk, but can they suffer?” To Bentham, scientists, for that matter psychologist are violating the golden rule; don’t do unto others, what you don’t want them to do to you!
Records at the US government Accountability Office reveal that about 52 percent of new drugs marketed between 1976 and 1985 caused adverse effects that were not predicted by animal studies. In essence, animal experimentation can mislead researches or even contribute to illnesses or death by failing to predict the toxic effects of drugs. They made reference to the Thalidomide tragedy in the 60s and 70s. A sedative for breastfeeding and pregnant mothers that came with severe side effects such as severe deformities in children born, etc. another example is Clioquinol, which brought paralysis, blindness, and even death.
They offer alternatives like epidemiological s of studies, clinical intervention trials, study of human tissue and cell structures, and even study of patients with the HIV virus, and many more.
To conclude, it is obvious that this debate would continue for many centuries. But I personally think that animal experimentation should continue, but should be regulated because a car without brakes is prone to fatal accident
good initiative bro!!! I candidly wish more "fellows" are going to be brought on board as we kick start the campaign to get the youth informed!!!!!!!!!
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