Position Paper

Introduction:
Do humans have the right to test on animals to better and/or save our lives? Yes, we believe we do. Animal testing is one of the most cost efficient and effective ways to experiment the effects of certain chemicals and develop new treatments for diseases and new cosmetic products. Animal testing is very controversial. There are people who believe that animal testing is cruel and inhumane to the animals and therefore should be illegal. We believe that the benefits humans receive from animal testing outweigh the pain the animals may feel. We have anthropocentric rights that permit us to test on animals for our benefit. Animal activist groups are very vocal about their opposition of animal testing. They care because they believe animals should have the same rights as humans. The families of cancer patients and other people with serious diseases as well as many scientists and people in the medical field often support animal testing.

Our Position:
The majority of the scientific community agrees that animal testing is necessary to help humans because it has lead to some of the greatest scientific advances of all time. Animal testing has helped provide antibiotics and vaccines, insulin for diabetes, local and general anesthetics, and has made possible advances in medical technology such as blood transfusion, kidney dialysis, and the heart lung machine. Without animal research, doctors would have no chemotherapy to save the 70% of children who now survive acute lymphocytic leukemia. Also, without animal research, 60 million Americans would risk death from heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and polio, which could kill or cripple thousands of unvaccinated children and adults each year.[1]
These statistics highlight the main reasons for which animal research needs to continue. First, despite great advances in science and technology, animals still cannot be replaced completely by non-animal methods. This is because there are still too many serious conditions that we cannot cure or treat adequately without animal testing. It is also necessary that new surgical techniques are first preformed on animals because they need to be developed and practiced on living creatures.

We all inherently have rights when we are born, some of which include rights to financial resources, human health, identity, and aesthetic experiences. Cosmetics and medicine provide jobs and income to thousands of people worldwide. Our health and quality of life is improved by animal tested products like medicine. We are able to establish identity and enjoy a personal aesthetic experience thanks to cosmetics. All of these reasons give us the right to test animals as we see fit no matter what the consequence since the lives of animals are worth improving and saving lives.[2]

Without animal testing in the future medical advances would come to a standstill while everyone switched over to non-animal testing methods. Even after something is proven safe by non-animal methods more products will have to be tested on volunteer humans before approved. This is more costly because of the compensation required along with the cost of switching testing systems making a totally non-animal testing situation unfeasible. This reliance on human volunteers also slows the process and is less controlled then in a laboratory setting. Without animal testing we could miss finding cures for diseases and substantial benefits to human kind.


Their Position:
Animal testing has allowed us to reach new heights in medical research and cosmetic development but there are those who oppose it. They argue that testing on animals doesn’t accurately measure what will happen to humans. There are animal free alternatives that are better. Animal testing is a cruel and outdated practice. These are the main arguments against animal testing. The first argument states that if something is animal tested and passes for safe it won’t necessarily be safe for humans. This has happened before but it has also happened that animal testing led to vaccines for rabies, polio, measles, mumps, and tuberculosis which had the same effect in humans as in the animals tested [3]. There are alternatives to animal testing some of which include synthetic skins, computer analysis, and stem and genetically modified cells [4]. But these alternatives can’t predict what will happen in a whole body system. Computer analysis can also be flawed due to extrapolation, or guessing. Lastly animal testing in this day and age is regulated which involves getting permission to test on animals at all and includes using painkillers where potentially pain could be caused to the animal.


Conclusion:
In conclusion animal testing is needed now and in the future to better our human lives. Advances in medicines combating diseases and conditions extend and better human quality of life thanks to animal testing. We believe that the life of a mouse is worth development of cosmetic products that better our health, identity, and financial situations. The lives of thousands of mice are worth saving a life or extending it. Without animal testing in the future we will miss opportunities for finding cures and new cosmetic products that improve our quality of life.
References:

Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research. Animals in Research. (2009)
http://www.sfbr.org/About/animals.aspx

Dr. Hull. Class Language for Environmental Values (2009)
https://scholar.vt.edu/access/content/group/58968d09-f02d-44f1-ba36-ae443ea60a13/FOR_2554_13119_200901/Course_Documents/PUBLIC/values_language.pdf

Roberta Goli. The Use of Animals for Research. (2009)
http://scientificethics.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_use_of_animals_for_research

Hofer T, Gerner I, Gundert-Remy U, Liebsch M, Schulte A, Spielmann H, Vogel R, Wettig K. Animal testing and alternative approaches for the human health risk assessment under the proposed new European chemicals regulation. Arch. Toxicol. (2004) 78:549–564.

Outline

Debate Team #5A: Outline

Outline:

Main Points:

1) Animal testing helps provide antibiotics and vaccines that cannot be developed without animal use, even with our advanced technology.

· Medical students practice kidney surgery on animals. Kidney transplant are now possible for those who would either have to spend the rest of their life on dialysis or die from their diseases.

· Antibiotics and vaccines are tested on animals

2) Provide cosmetic needs

· 4 companies that probably almost everyone in the class have used at some time in their lives test on animals: CoverGirl ©, Herbal Essences ©, Maybelline ©, and Pantene ProV © Johnson & Johnson ©

· Enable proper hygiene which keeps human healthy and happy

· Make up allows women to enhance their natural beauty improving their life

3) Animal Testing is now regulated and controlled through laws and legislation

· Most research facilities kill animals as soon as they show signs of severe pain (therefore, there are laws that mandate minimal animal suffering).

· The Animal Welfare Act standardizes the care and treatment of laboratory animals (except for rats and mice bred specifically for research purposes) and requires that painkillers be used in any experiments that will potentially cause physical pain to the animal.

· Facilities wishing to conduct animal research must register with the United States Department of Agriculture.

· The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will conduct unannounced inspections of any laboratory.

4) Making animal testing illegal is illogical and infeasible

· The use of tissue cultures and computer modeling only produce isolated results and cannot predict the reaction of the whole living system

· Testing on humans would be very difficult and expensive because humans would need to volunteer for the tests and would then need to be compensated for their time and any ill effects the tests caused

· Testing on humans would also take longer periods of time

5) Does the life of a mouse equal the millions of human lives that can be saved through animal testing? Yes, the natural lifespan of a mouse in the wild is 3 months. In three months the products tested and developed by animal testing can saves thousands of lives. Hopefully in the future through our advanced technology we will not need to test on animals but as of right now it is our only logical option.

Tasks:

1) Tentative Outline:

a) Develop outline and organize references: Kelly

b) Assign tasks and email to TA: Michelle

2) Position Paper:

a) The problem/Introduction and conclusion and references: Michelle

b) Our position: Kelly

c) The other team’s positions: Cathy

3) Research Paper:

a) Intro and conclusion and references: Kelly

b) Our position: Michelle and Kelly helping

c) Their position: Cathy and Kelly helping

4) Debate Details:

a) Debate script

b) Debate

c) PowerPoint

d) Props

Publish PostReferences:

1) "Animal research is a source of human compassion, not shame." Lancet 04 Sept. 2004: 815+. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 23 Oct. 2009.

2) Mooney, Helen "Scientific testing on animals grew by 14% in 2008, figures show." BMJ: British Medical Journal 339.7714 (2009): 190. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 23 Oct. 2009.

3) Jha, Alok, and Paul Lewis. "Scientist backs animal testing for cosmetics." The Gardian 4 Mar. 2006: 1.

4) Poste, George. "Animal testing a necessary research tool, for now." The Republic 3 Sept. 2006.

5) Pro-Test: standing up for science. Web. 23 Oct. 2009. .

6) "Testing & Trialling Medicines for Humans - About Animal Testing (UK)." Informed Discussion on Animal Welfare in Animal Testing at About Animal Testing (UK). Web. 23 Oct. 2009. .

7) Cook, Kristina. "Pro-Test: supporting animal testing." Sp!ked science. 23 Feb. 2006. Web. 23 Oct. 2009. .

8) "PHI 305: Animal Experimentation." Welcome to the University of Kentucky. Web. 23 Oct. 2009. .

Pro Animal Testing

Animal testing is necessary for human advancement in medicine. By analysing animals, scientists can learn what causes a certain disease as well as how it develops and what aspects, like the environment or diet, contribute to the development of disease.