Animal testing: is it ethical / justified?

I understand this is a highly emotive subject to some.....

Is animal testing ethical?

depends what its for

not for make up and cosmetics

I suppose if it were for medical purposes ..yes...but anything other than that...no...touchy subject

No, not for testing any forms of food/cosmetics /house hold chemicals. For species specific things it will be necessary, like to test new medications eg. dog meds on dogs and there may be the odd exceptional circumstances of various animal being tested for zoonotic reasons, but I am not convinced that in most cases testing on one species is applicable to another. I am aware of the arguments surrounding the 'if it were your child debate' and my father I know would have not survived to live to the age of 90 without the insulin so vital to him that was initially tested on dogs, he was one of the first people to receive insulin but that was 1928. With modern laboratory techniques and human volunteers it should not prove necessary to use animals for testing in all but the most exceptional of circumstances. Some years ago a couple of miles from where I live a beagle kennel used for breeding dogs for experimentation was closed down due to "public pressure." Although the dogs were clean and well fed they were 'numbers' who had very little contact with humans, there were dozens of dogs and puppies who had never been socialised or seen daylight, many local people adopted one but a lot were PTS as coping with life in an alien outside world was too much for them.

This was the kennels..

Perrycroft Lodge
In recent years campaigns have increasingly focused on the animal breeders, those who make vivisection possible in the first place. And again, people power is proving successful. One of the first victories was the closure of Perrycroft Lodge, the beagle breeders based in Herefordshire. Local campaigners had worked ceaselessly to publicise Perrycroft's grim trade but it was not until the horrific incident in September 1989, when 79 dogs bound for a Swedish vivisection laboratory died on a channel ferry, that the kennels became the focus of a national campaign organised by Animal Aid. Marches were arranged, leaflets and petitions calling for the closure of Perrycroft were distributed and regular street stalls were organised in the kennels' home town of Malvern. Indeed, the overwhelming support of local residents was to prove vital to the campaign. A successful prosecution by MAFF and continued bad publicity led to a loss of trade, and after action by the local council, Perrycroft finally closed. The campaign proved that people will support the animal rights cause when faced with incontrovertible evidence of animal cruelty.


NB: the campaign was entirely peaceful, but pressure from the people in the local community was overwhelming

I have suffered from breast cancer and survived, and now have MS the drugs I have taken have been tested on animals because there was no alternative. I did not like taking them and have campaigned long and hard to stop testing on animals as the test are worthless. Animals do not react the same way as human beings. Thalidomide was tested on animals and look what that did !

I think testing on animals are very nessecary and still needed.
Not for everything though.

As it has been mentioned, most ingredients for make-up or shampoo etc. has allready been tested and the reasons for keep finding new is not good enough.

But we live in a world where humans are above animals. That means if some reaction should come from using a product (for excampel house cleaning) it should show on animals and not humans.
And all treatment which can eather safe or prolonge life has to be tryed out on animals first.

Mini mentioned the excuse about "'if it were your child" and no matter how you put it, its still true. It may seem like a lame excuse that have been used too many times, none the less its the truth.

I have been taking care of animals used for testing. And there´s a place I would like to see some change. That is on how they take care of these animals and for how long they have to suffer.
Wellfare for these animals should be a bigger issue. But it should be in general aswell.

I cant imaging that someone fully understands the consequense by stopping all animals testing. Wheter its testing products or ways to safe or prolonge life. In our world it could never happen....

I don't agree with animal testing for cosmetics, but I'm in two minds about testing for pharmacuticals(sp)

I've seen animal testing on both sides of the coin. I even worked for a company that was reported to of had a two headed dog I never saw this animal I hasten to add. A majority of the testing was done on rats and mice.

There is arguements for and against testing. Like other highly emotive topics, I doubt that there will ever be any common ground.

W
didnt you and I work for the same company once?

Yes, we did Lel