Nowadays, animal experiments are widely used to develop new medicines and to test the safety of other products. Some people argue that these experiments should be banned because it is morally wrong to cause animals to suffer, while others are in favour of them because of their benefits to humanity Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

It is true that medicines and other products are routinely tested before they are cleared for human use.

While

some people argue that animal testing is morally wrong and believe that a ban on

this

practice is necessary out of humanitarian considerations, others, myself included, believe that animal experimentation is crucial for the development of medicines,

together with

appropriate policies about

research

to protect animals ethically. Granted, opponents of animal testing for medical

research

may argue that

humans

have no right to subject animals to

this

kind of trauma and that the lives of all creatures should be respected. They say that animals, like

humans

, are sentient beings capable of experiencing pain, fear and suffering and that there is no reason to implement the practice of violating the parts of the animal body for

research

. They believe that the benefits to

humans

do not justify the suffering caused and that scientists should use alternative methods of

research

. Notwithstanding the aforementioned arguments, I would contend that it is a necessary evil to do medical

research

because of the benefits to humanity.

Such

research

is of paramount importance to medical advancements. Without these kinds of practices, many breakthroughs in healthcare would have been unattainable, potentially costing countless human lives. Take the pandemic Covid-19 two years ago as an example; a range of experiments was conducted on laboratory mice in an attempt to invent a vaccine countering the deadly virus, supporting medical scientists to apply

this

kind of vaccine to

humans

confidently.

This

is in tandem with the fact that many countries have established strict ethical guidelines and regulations governing animal testing, which aims to minimize animal suffering and ensure that

such

experiments are conducted only when absolutely essential. In conclusion,

while

there are justifications to advocate the banning of animal testing

due to

humanitarian purposes, I side with those who are convinced that the merits of

this

practice are great.