Animal testing is a controversial topic with lots of different opinions and ideas on both sides regarding to the ethics of this practice. Although many animals are abused and killed every year a cause of this cruel and painful method, scientists, cosmetic and drug companies continue to face opposition due to the fact that they use animals for the safety of their products and medical research. Some feel that this procedure goes against animals rights, while others see the positive impact that animal testing brings to humans.
What is animal testing? For scientists, animal testing is the ‘‘use of animals to develop medical treatments, determine the toxicity of medications, and check the safety of products destined for human use, commercial, and health care uses’’ ( Pro con, http://animal-testing.procon.org/). For most people, animal testing is a cruel and unnecessary method that involves torture and suffering of animals. Right now, a substantial amount of animals such as rats, rabbits, primates, cats, and dogs, among others, are locked inside cold and barren cages in laboratories across the country. They are waiting to be tested in a painful way that may cause them to suffer in agony for days or sometimes weeks, until they die. The type of test applied to animals may vary depending on the purpose of the test and its side effects. According to Humane Society International, animals used in experiments are commonly subjected to ‘‘force feeding, forced inhalation, food