Animal testing is
currently required by law in the U.S. for nearly all new medicines and
drugs, medical equipment and pesticides Americans use every day. But should animal testing be banned? My answer to that question is a resounding Yes. Here’s why.
I don’t
understand why the inhumane, and in my mind barbaric, practice of testing drugs
on animals is still happening in the 21st century. Technology has come so far. Reliable and even
better alternatives to animal testing of new medications and other
pharmaceutical products are available.
Subjecting helpless animals to a
life of abuse and anguish is a form of intentional animal cruelty. Toxic substances being orally force feed,
forced inhalation for hours at a time, and forced skin contact is an everyday occurrence
for lab animals worldwide.
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| Should Animal Testing Be Banned? |
The two industries that have used and abused animals in product testing
are the Pharmaceutical and Cosmetics industries. In my earlier post on CrueltyFree Makeup and Cosmetics I discussed testing makeup
and other cosmetics on animals, and provided a list of “cruelty free” makeup
and cosmetics brands.
Today I want to talk about animal testing in the
pharmaceutical industry, which is horrific, and a bit more complicated.
There is a lot of debate going on amongst scientists, legislators and other parties. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandates that prescription drugs be tested on animals before they can be placed in human trials for testing. Sadly, we have a long way to go to convince the FDA that there are non-animal testing methods believed by many scientists to be as effective or even more effective than testing on animals.
