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    In recent years, as several controversial incidents of animal testing have surfaced, the public seems to gradually question the abolition of animal experiments. Animal experiments are closely related to our daily lives, such as drugs, food additives, cosmetics and other chemical products, but the public is still unfamiliar with them. Even though in the past few years, news reports have briefly spurred discussions on animal testing, most people still have a little understanding of this issue. While some opponents may think it is inhumane to use animals to test the safety of medicines and health products for humans, supporters became convinced that animal experiments are absolutely necessary to help us develop many medical treatments or drugs. Considering human safety and drug stability animal testing should be required for the following reasons.

   One of the primary reasons is that animals are appropriate research subjects since they are similar to human beings in many ways. As pointed out on a website, Speaking of research, (2008, March 13) said that though the appearance of humans and animals may look different, they are very similar in physiology and anatomy. From mice to monkeys, animals have the same organs and organ systems like lungs and nervous systems, and they perform the same functions in nearly the same way as human do. Hence, near 90% of veterinary drugs used to treat animals are similar to those developed to treat human patients. Despite of  some slight differences, the similarities between animals and humans are far exceeding these differences. So, we can boldly say that animals may be the most similar creatures to humans on earth, and there may not be better experimental objects to test new therapies.

   What is more, animal testing can help us better understand certain viruses and bacteria and therefore develop the corresponding treatment. Even though the medicine and technology are so advanced currently, there are still many germs and viruses around us, and we still know very little about most of them. Furthermore, some viruses will mutate over time and may change their characteristics. Thus, in order to improve our understanding of these bacteria and viruses, it is vital and necessary to test these microbes on other living organisms like animals. In a word, before any new treatment is tried on humans, we still need data from animal studies to ensure that it is likely to be effective and to help us understand what the side effects are likely to be. Only in this way can we be prepared to prevent serious epidemics from breaking out in the future.

   While some may argue that animal testing is too cruel to implement. Opponents consider that animals used in experiments are commonly subject to compulsive feeding, food and water deprivation, infliction of burns and wounds, and deprivation of life through carbon dioxide asphyxiation, neck-breaking, or other methods. Yet, we shouldn’t make hasty generalization merely due to the bad behavior of a few people. In fact, according to Animal Welfare Act (1966; AWA), animal experiments are highly regulated by laws nowadays, carefully protecting animals from mistreatment. A research institution, ProCon.org (2020, March 18), claimed that since 1966, in addition to local and state laws and                     guidelines, animal research has also been regulated by Animal Welfare                Act. AWA stipulates not only the prohibition of cruelty to animals, but                  the minimum housing standards for research animals, such as the size      of the fence, food and water conditions, and temperature. Besides, AWA requires that researchers should hire veterinarians to regularly check the physical condition of the animals. Clearly, under the regulations formulated by the government, research animals can be fully protected.

   All in all, it’s difficult to say with certainty that animal experiments are good or bad. However, in view of the many advantages of animal testing mentioned above, we can see that animal testing is not as terrible as people think; on the contrary, it brings us many benefits, such as the contribution to medicine. Also, as far as current technology is concerned, animal testing is essential in the world we live in because animal testing is still the main guarantee for ensuring the safety of drugs, and there is still no ideal alternative. In the face of people’s doubts, I think what we can do is to try our best to take care of the research animals and strike a balance between the pain and the profits they bring.