There is no need for animal research anymore Essay

There is no need for animal research anymore - Essay Example (Carl, n.d) All this is being done in the name of science, medical research, cosmetics, tobacco and other various forms of consumer products. Why aren’t these tests being so widely condemned? How is this not cruel and unjust? Somehow one species tends to overlook the rights of others when there is benefit. But is it all worth it? Is it even valid? Do we even need animal experimentation in today’s world of advanced scientific simulation and other techniques? According to studies, the annual number of animals used in laboratory tests, reaches an estimated 100 million. These tests are performed on a wide range of animals that include rats, mice, rabbits, apes, monkeys but also domestic cats and dogs (Carl, n.d). An estimated 1600 chimpanzees are housed in U.S research facilities. Almost 23 million rats and mice were subjected to â€Å"experimentation† in the year 1998. These figures come from National Association for Biomedical Research. PETA, on the other hand, says that the figures go higher. Rodents and mice were not even included in the 1996 Animal Welfare act, eventhough 90 percent of the testing is done on them. It wan’t until end of 2000 that they were included in these statistics. Many justify animal testing by crediting it for major medical breakthroughs, including penicillin, chemotherapy for childhood leukemia, hip replacement, insulin, the polio vaccine and heart bypass surgeries. (Fast Facts: animal testing) The most common justification about animal experimentation is that it is a necessary process for the development of medicines, vaccines and cures for human illnesses. Those in favor of animal testing justify the act by asking, what will happen to the research on finding cures diseases such as AIDS, cancer and other heart diseases, if animals aren’t used for medical experimentation? Is animal testing so important, that the research on these diseases will not