Persuasive Essay Example on Animal Testing

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, it is great to be here with you all this morning. Today I’m here to oppose the barbaric, detrimental and unnecessary animal testing industry. To begin, take a look at this photo, seems innocent enough, right?, like a typical photo seen on Instagram or Facebook. This photo features a man pictured with his dog, but this photo raises concerning questions for me. Why is this man using cosmetic products on his dog?; his dog with sensitive fur, very different to human skin. This highlights the widespread and sinister issue of animal testing.

For a moment, imagine you were the one being tested on. Imagine growing up in a facility, nameless, labelled by numbers. Imagine being bound by metal clamps, unable to cry out for help. Imagine receiving blind eyes, a bleeding back and broken bones. Even imagine losing your life; to satisfy another species. It sounds like a story found in a horror movie, yet it is the reality for laboratory animals. Do you know the lipstick and the eyeshadow we use to make ourselves more attractive have blinded and killed thousands of animals? Do you know the toothpaste and the shampoo we use have poisoned thousands of innocent animals?. If your answer is ‘No’, now it is time for all of us to know it. It is astounding how many companies test on animals to approve medicines and cosmetics, exposing animals to injections and toxic chemicals, all for our benefit. You wouldn’t inject yourself with unknown toxic chemicals or rub detergent on your face, so why should they?. Ultimately, how can these inhumane actions be justified?

Numerous animals have gone through unbearable suffering in laboratories to let us stay away from diseases. Numerous animals have been tortured in laboratories to ensure our health. Numerous animals have died in laboratories to produce safe products for us. Did they deserve such brutal treatment? An overview of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (or PETA) has judged us guilty of killing more than 100 million animals in cosmetic testing and laboratories every year. No animal is safe from torture and persecution: mice, rats, cats, dogs, rabbits or hamsters - and yes, even a man’s best friend isn’t safe from the harsh world of animal testing. Each year, over 100 million animals have been burned, poisoned, tortured and starved. Each year, over 100 million animals are given a lethal dose, poisoned with chemicals. Each year, over 100 million animals are driven insane and deliberately infected with diseases such as cancer and AIDS. These animals are purposely and brutally abused, tortured and killed for human benefit. The blood of these helpless animals is on our hands. The hands that purchase products from companies that test on animals. The hands that continue the cruel cycle of life for a laboratory animal. Perhaps you may see these tests are for a good cause, necessary for your safety, but is it a good cause that innocent animals are caged up, tortured and sacrificed? Perhaps you may say these tests are good for your health, but can these tests reliably predict effects in humans?

The value of animal experimentation in most medical advances is questionable. Animal testing has endangered the lives of many human beings, contrary to being for a good cause or necessary for our safety. According to PETA’s fact sheet, they argue “in many cases, animal studies do not just hurt animals and waste money, they kill people too”. Have any of us ever wondered why this is the case? Animals and humans are completely different to each other. We have different DNA, different physical features and different chemical compositions. Cancer is just one example demonstrating the failures of animal testing, another reason why human diseases should not be tested on animals. According to the National Cancer Institute, they explain “we have cured mice of cancer for decades, and it simply didn’t work in humans.” Scientists need to ask themselves the critical questions; do dogs have the same DNA as us? Do cats have the same genetic characteristics as us? Do rabbits have the same body cells as us? It is incredibly ironic when scientists answer ‘No’ to these questions while still using human benefits as an unacceptable and pathetic excuse to continue to perform the savage and inhumane practice of animal testing. Should we still have faith in scientists’ and researchers’ ability to find a cure via animal testing? Should we still believe in those products which make millions of animals face brutal deaths? Should we depend on such inaccurate experiments? For me, the answer is an overwhelming ‘No’. It should also be the answer to our humane society, our country and the entire globe.

We should respect the rights of all species, just as we respect the rights of all people. We would not test on a person without their consent, so why do we think we have the right to experiment on voiceless animals? We should stand up for animal rights. We should be a voice for the animals tortured and yelled at behind laboratory doors, just like we would stand up for our rights. As Jeremy Bentham said, a founder of the reforming utilitarian school of moral philosophy, “the question is not ‘Can they reason?’ nor ‘Can they talk?’ but ‘Can they suffer?’”, through commenting on animal rights, Bentham directly challenges a traditional view that nonhuman animals exist merely for our use. Every living being has rights. We see dogs or cats as our family, friends and companions. Is it moral or ethical for us to provide money to companies that subject our family or friends to medical research or cosmetic testing? Animals are just like us, creatures created by God. They have feelings. They can feel pain, hunger and thirst. Just like us, they will grieve over loved ones they have lost. We need to put ourselves in the position of these animals, imagining their feelings. We should imagine living inside a small cage awaiting our death. We should imagine if we had no control over any aspect of our lives, even stripped of the fundamental right of freedom. Imagine all the pain and suffering felt day in and day out by these animals. 

With modern technology and research, animal testing has become even more unreliable, unscientific and unnecessary practice. According to PETA, “cutting-edge non-animal research methods are available and have been shown time and again to be more accurate than crude animal experiments.” Nowadays, we have plenty of alternatives that have a much higher success rate and are far less invasive and cruel compared to animal testing. Instead of animal testing, we can use human cell culture systems. Instead of animal testing, we can use computer mathematical models. Instead of animal testing, we can use artificial human skin and eyes that mimic the body’s natural properties. I believe that with innovative and modern technological advancements, we can find new methods that scientists and researchers can use without inflicting cruelty and harm to any creature.

Now, let us stop buying and using products tested on animals. Now, let us dig up the roots of cruelty and start sowing the seeds of humanism all over the world. Now, let us take the first steps to a new, kinder future today.

Thank you very much.