It is really upsetting to find that animal testing has been increasing in the UK for the last 10 years. Although there are good arguments why animal testing is necessary to stop suffering of human beings (cancer research for example) it has been proven that the results of many animal studies are not applicable to humans. Why? Because our biochemistry is different. After all humans love chocolate which is poison to dogs.
Jane Goodall, my heroine!, was at the EU commission recently requesting that alternatives to animal testing be more actively sought. She says:
"We should admit that the infliction of suffering on beings who are capable of feeling is ethically problematic,and that the amazing human brain should set to work to find new ways of testing and experimenting that will not involve the use of live, sentient beings. The scientific establishment should actively encourage such research. More funding should be made available for it. And rewards - such as a Nobel Prize - should be given for it. It is a goal worthy of great energy and scientific ingenuity. It is a goal towards which all civilized nations should be moving."
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I dunno about this one, I read many research papers where animals were used for testing and it there is still a need for this.... though not as much as they would have one believe i'm sure.
I wonder if people would be so keen on cloning if they knew how many lives (animal and human) are being sacrificed for certain research projects.
But I can't understand why animal testing is on the increase? I thought that UK and Europe were putting pressure on companies to find alternatives? Scary.
I'm not sure why the testing has been on the increase. Perhaps because there is more research been done? Also the EU wants to test all the thousands of artificial chemicals that are in the environment and currently untested. Unfortunately that does mean more toxicity testing on animals.
I don't think most people realise what goes on behind the scenes for research but they may also be used to idea that testing on animals is ok.
I think there are some research topics that may be justified, but I'm not sure all. Researchers these days are really good at putting a spin on why their research is going to be good for humanity some day. But who knows. We all know that many scientists are just doing research for their ambitious careers, to get published. That does not make them the most unbiased judges on whether their work and animal testing is really necessary. If they're working for a company, again their motivations are different from the sugar-coated ones they may give to funding agencies or the public.
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