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2004 Essay Contest Winners
High School Division Clearing Up the Myth
Jenna Dahn When you ask a person their viewpoint about animal testing most everyone says they are against it, and when asked why they'll talk of how cruel, unfair or disgusting it is. I myself used to think this way too. Why is it that no one ever looks at their cheeseburger or chicken nuggets as being cruel or disgusting? The truth of the matter is that animals used in research are better treated than factory farm animals, the animals at the local shelter, or even some pet stores. Also, the animals used in medical research die for a much greater cause than fast food; they are the reason that those humans (and animals!) with life-threatening diseases and disorders can be treated, or even cured. There is no reason to be against the use of animals in medical research once you separate all the myths from the reality. One common misconception is that all lab animals are suffering and that there are no laws to protect the animals' rights. There are international, national, state and local laws governing the use of animals in any type of research which are extensive and prevent the possibility of any mistreatment. To obtain monetary research grants and permission to work with animals in the laboratory, institutions must abide by strict rules governing the transport, care, and use of the animals. Normally, the housing, feeding, and care of all animals used for biomedical purposes must be directed by a veterinarian or other scientist trained and experienced in the proper care, handling, and use of species being maintained or studied. The institutions are checked up on by the government at least 12 times, randomly throughout the year, to check that all the laws are being followed. The animals are handled with respect to what is called the "Three R's": reduce, refine, and replace. It is very important to carry out a proper statistical analysis of the proposed experiment to determine how many animals need to be used. To reduce the number of animals used, the minimum, correct number of animals must be used the first time. Very specific procedures are used and when possible genetically identical animals so that the results are accurate and do not need to be repeated, preventing the wasting of animal life. Refining means that research involving animals has to be designed so that any distress or suffering involved is kept to a minimum. For example, if the experiment would hurt the animal, a painkiller would normally be given. If an experiment involves animals with a painful or fatal disease, it can be designed so that the animals are painlessly killed at an early stage of the disease when they only show mild symptoms, instead of waiting until they are clearly dying. Also, laboratory animals spend most of their lives simply living in the animal house and not being used in an experiment and in the past, laboratory animals would often be kept alone in barren cages. These days in order to refine the life of the animals they are kept in social groups, preferably in large cages or floor pens, with things for them to play with. In order to further replace the use of animals in research projects a lot of scientific effort has been devoted to developing new, non-animal techniques which can be used in experiments instead of animals. There have been some notable successes, but overall, progress has been disappointingly slow. When society thinks of animal testing, they envision hundreds of monkeys, dogs or cats being tortured in labs, but this is not the case. More than 80 out of every 100 animals used in research are mice, rats and other rodents. In fact, less than one in every 200 research animals is a cat or a dog and one in every 600 is a primate. Animal research has been estimated to account for only about 10 percent of all biomedical research. When put in that perspective it affirms that only a very minute portion of all the medical research even includes animals. Animals are only used when scientific questions can't be answered by other methods. Animals are used in research and testing only when it is necessary to see what happens in the whole living body, and the use of human subjects would not be ethically acceptable. One main reason that the unaware public is against the use of animals in biomedical research is mainly the fact that they are unaware. The majority of the population has no idea that they have animal research to thank for the following: local anesthetics, blood transfusions, insulin for diabetics, organ transplants, treatments for premature babies, and pretty much all vaccinations and medicines that are administered today. They are unaware of the harmful treatments that were abolished or adjusted because of results found during testing. Given continued research using animals, further advances in the treatment of diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis and crippling joint disease are expected. It is very difficult to see how many medical advances could have been made without animal research. The only reason the public could have for being against the use of animals is because they believe the common myths that are greatly accepted as truths. To say that animals are held by the hundreds in labs suffering with diseases and experiencing painful deaths and that no progress is made at their expense is false. Lab animals probably receive the best care probably of all animals, as their health is crucial to the welfare of the tests they are undergoing. There are many laws protecting their well-being and defending their rights and there are no scientists out there torturing animals for profit or for fun. These myths distort the public's opinion on animal testing and are the basis for their disgust with the topic. Ignorance is what sets society against animal testing. If the vast public were as informed as they should be, there would be no disgust or opposition of the use of animals in biomedical research.
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MISMR members strongly support humane animal study in research. We hope that likeminded citizens will join us in working for rational public policy that assures the continued appropriate use of animals in the course of good science. |