Throughout the existence of humanity, major breakthroughs is fields such as sience and medecine have been made thanks to experimentation on animals. However, While many people believe that it can lead to many more scientific discoveries, other argue that it should be stopped for the sake of the animals. Hence, we may wonder to what extent can experimentation on animals can be accepted, and if there are any other solutions.
First and foremost, it is imperative to understand the point of view of those who say that experimentation on animals is bad. It is true that, while we have been using animals to experiment for a very long time, it is only now that we realised that animals are living and breathing creatures, not just marionettes scientists can play with. Subsequently, it is worth mentioning that, depending on the kind of experiments, many, if not most animals involved die or leave with a handicap. In this sense, it is acceptable to say that the use of animals in experiments is bad. Nevertheless, it is not because people find it morally incorrect that it should stop.
Experimentation on animals has played a crucial role in the advancements of humankind in fiels such as medecine. Although testing on an animal can lead to its death, people argue that it is a better solution that testing on a human being and, thus, putting their life on the line. Animals like rats and cats are commonly used for experiments because they reproduce quickly and are not at risk of extinction because of the experimentation. Furthermore, using them to test vaccines or antibiotics helps for a better understanding of the potential ways they could react on a human being, as rats are particularly close to humans in terms of anatomy. All of this makes for a good argument for why experimentation on animals is extremely important.
Yet, as scientists find new ways to innovate everyday, it would not be absurd to assume that possible alternatives will be found very soon. Even though it is not worth risking a human life for an experiment, saving that of an animal is as important. This is why solutions, such as experimenting on a group of living cells grown in captivity, do not seem that far fetched. And as time passes, more innovative ways to deal with this problem will be discovered.
In conclusion, experimentation on animals is not completely black and white, and those for and against both have solid arguments to prove their point. On the one hand, it is true that experimenting on an animals inlvolves risking its life and can seem inhumane. But on the other hand, The life of an animal cannot be compared to that of a human being. And as science finds new ways to innovate, this might be a problem of the past in the future.