By: idebate.com
In this debate "testing" should be defined as all
testing on animals including, medical research, cosmetics, toxicology testing,
and psychological research involving animal subjects. Most existing bans on
animal research, when they have been implemented, have involved some form of
disciplinary action by a professional body and the possibility of criminal
prosecution.
Medical research is the hardest case for proposition in this
debate to prove, since it has previously yielded substantial benefits for
humanity , while contemporary animal research continues to contribute
demonstrably to the speed and efficiency with which new scientific break
throughs are achieved. Focusing the proposition case on toxicology, or
cosmetics alone would divert the debate into an area of law and ethics that is
settled in most respects: many states around the world have instituted bans
using animals to test cosmetics and the toxicity of domestic cleaning products.
Thus the best proposition strategy is to focus on the hard case of medical
research.
Animal research has been used for several centuries as part
of efforts to better understand the world around us. Almost all states actively
research on animals at present. The total scale of all research on vertebrates
is hard to measure, but according to some estimates it could be as high as
115,000,000 animals per year, with the vast majority of these being euthanized
at the end of the period of experimentation.
The pharmaceutical industry spends a significant amount of
time conducting research on animals. Due to the relative paucity of drugs that
make it on to the market place after the initial testing phases, the global
cost of each successful new drug in terms of animal lives, is around 5.75
million animals. By contrast the now shrinking industry sector on chemical
safety testing using animals, uses around 860 animals per chemical when
screening for carcinogens (cancer-causing substances).
Whilst much the research described above is categorized as
causing minimal pain and suffering, figures obtained in 2010 show that in the
USA alone 97,123 animals were used in research likely to involve pain and
suffering, where pain killers and sedatives would not be administered. However,
it should be born in mind that this figure is equal to only 8.5% of the total
number of animals used in research activities covered by the US Animal Welfare
Act - but the act does not cover mice, rats, birds or fish.
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http://idebate.org/debatabase/debates/animal-research-debate/house-would-ban-animal-testing
Bibiographic details:
Page name: This
House would ban animal testing
Author:
Publisher:
idebate.org
Site name:
idebate.org
Date published:
February 17, 2012
Date accessed:
January 23, 2015
