Hey thins is fire boy 11. My exams got over a few days back and one of the essay topics for my English exam was regarding testing drugs on animals before humans. I found this topic rather interesting and therefore today's topic is animal testing. Before i start i would like to bring to notice that in this article by animal testing i refer to testing of drugs on animals.
Before I decide whether animal testing is god or bad, let us first look at why animal testing is done. It is done so that medication can be given to humans without a chance of any harmful side effects. Morally speaking animal testing is wrong. I say this because these drugs which are being tested may have severe side effects and can cause pain to the animal if not death. Animals feels much pain as humans and testing on animals is no different than testing on humans. These drugs once tested are used for the benefit of humans and not for these animals themselves who who's lives are at stake while the testing is in progress.
Right, so i have stated why the concept of animal testing is morally wrong, but in my opinion it is necessary. I say his for the following reasons. The only other option to animal testing is testing these drugs on humans, which will bring twice as much resentment as that to animal testing and hence in my opinion testing drugs on humans isn't possible. Therefore the only other alternative is not testing drugs and selling them. This can be very dangerous not only to an individual but possible to the entire human race. This may sound very far fetched, but consider the following situation. Say a medication for a common cold is manufactured (let this medication be called X5). Since there is no animal testing X5 is manufactured in large numbers and sold in certain pharmacies. It is found that this medicine has no immediate side effects and is very effective in curing colds, working in a matter of hours. Therefore X5 gains popularity and spreads its reach and is now sold in all leading pharmacies throughout the world.It has now become that medicine which is kept in the medicine cabinet of all houses. After a year however it is found that this drug, X5 has just one long term side effect, i.e. terminal cancer. People will start dying in large numbers throughout the world and therefore causing a great dip in the human population.
By this time you will be asking for what purpose i have woven this rather confusing tale. What I'm getting at is testing on a few animals s better than risking wiping out a large chunk of the human population.
So to round it up i feel that testing drugs on animals is morally wrong but is a requirement until a suitable replacement can be found to test drugs for the safety of humans.
So I came up with a few ideas to combat this problem. The first is the use of death row convicts. These men have committed crime so bad that they are going to be killed for it. I have expressed my opposition to the death penalty in an earlier post, but if they are going to be killed anyways I think that they should do something useful before going out. The same thing goes with household pests. They are killed everyday so instead why not test drugs on them.
so those were my opinions, but i would love to hear yours. Leave a comment or make a new pot in your own blog and leave a link. Or leave a link to your blog either ways i will be sure to read it. Finally there is a poll somewhere on the rihgt of the screen. Please answer it and while you are at it hit the follow button.
Before I decide whether animal testing is god or bad, let us first look at why animal testing is done. It is done so that medication can be given to humans without a chance of any harmful side effects. Morally speaking animal testing is wrong. I say this because these drugs which are being tested may have severe side effects and can cause pain to the animal if not death. Animals feels much pain as humans and testing on animals is no different than testing on humans. These drugs once tested are used for the benefit of humans and not for these animals themselves who who's lives are at stake while the testing is in progress.
Right, so i have stated why the concept of animal testing is morally wrong, but in my opinion it is necessary. I say his for the following reasons. The only other option to animal testing is testing these drugs on humans, which will bring twice as much resentment as that to animal testing and hence in my opinion testing drugs on humans isn't possible. Therefore the only other alternative is not testing drugs and selling them. This can be very dangerous not only to an individual but possible to the entire human race. This may sound very far fetched, but consider the following situation. Say a medication for a common cold is manufactured (let this medication be called X5). Since there is no animal testing X5 is manufactured in large numbers and sold in certain pharmacies. It is found that this medicine has no immediate side effects and is very effective in curing colds, working in a matter of hours. Therefore X5 gains popularity and spreads its reach and is now sold in all leading pharmacies throughout the world.It has now become that medicine which is kept in the medicine cabinet of all houses. After a year however it is found that this drug, X5 has just one long term side effect, i.e. terminal cancer. People will start dying in large numbers throughout the world and therefore causing a great dip in the human population.
By this time you will be asking for what purpose i have woven this rather confusing tale. What I'm getting at is testing on a few animals s better than risking wiping out a large chunk of the human population.
So to round it up i feel that testing drugs on animals is morally wrong but is a requirement until a suitable replacement can be found to test drugs for the safety of humans.
So I came up with a few ideas to combat this problem. The first is the use of death row convicts. These men have committed crime so bad that they are going to be killed for it. I have expressed my opposition to the death penalty in an earlier post, but if they are going to be killed anyways I think that they should do something useful before going out. The same thing goes with household pests. They are killed everyday so instead why not test drugs on them.
so those were my opinions, but i would love to hear yours. Leave a comment or make a new pot in your own blog and leave a link. Or leave a link to your blog either ways i will be sure to read it. Finally there is a poll somewhere on the rihgt of the screen. Please answer it and while you are at it hit the follow button.
Hmm. Good insight into the consequences.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to sound all nerdy and boring, but there are various Animal ethics committees that are in charge of animal testing. If the medication, say X, is expected to have side effects, the testing starts with the animal lower down the animal kingdom. The logic is invertebrates over vertebrates.
But yes, there's always a risk. Only a few side effects can be predicted. I don't know if you've heard of the drug thalidomide and the havoc it caused. It was a sedative taken by pregnant women to cure morning sickness...but ultimately caused growth defects in the fetus.
If thalidomide had been tested properly on primates, or even rabbits, a lot of lives would have been saved.
So, in conclusion, animal testing is absolutely necessary, while obviously keeping the ethical issues in mind.
Oh, and your idea of testing on delinquents...even though it sounds fair, each human being has a basic right, a say in what happens to them. Though the crime they might have committed takes away that right, there still would be a whole lot of practical difficulties.
Just out of curiosity...what household pests did you have in mind? :D
Like rats and stuff...
ReplyDeletehow was your test?
And i just wanted to know did u understand the psychic powers post?
Oh, u remembered? :D. Not as good as I would have hoped. But hey, I only studied a couple of hrs...So that's justified.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I understood it. It took a second reading, though. Maybe you should make your font a little bigger. That way it's not so crowded.
And put the calculations as separate lines. Will ake it much clearer.
*make
ReplyDelete