By Fouzia Al-Kharafi
Did you know that more than half of the products found in an average person’s restroom are from brands that test on animals? You could be guilty of animal abuse without even knowing it! My name is Fouzia Al-Kharafi, and I’m a sophomore at Al Bayan Billingual School who is passionate about the ongoing issue of animal testing. We should all give an ear to animal testing and try to put an end to it since it is inhumane and unreliable. Animal testing is an overlooked topic that people rarely speak about, but these animals have rights just as important as ours. I believe that their voices NEED to be heard.
To begin, animal testing is an unethical, inhumane, and cruel method to resort to. According to the Humane Society International Organization, it is estimated that more than 115 million animals — including mice, rats, birds, fish, rabbits, guinea pigs, farm animals, dogs, cats and non-human primates — are used and/or killed in laboratory experiments each year around the world. These unfortunate beings are held captive in laboratories, tormented and suffer pain for foolish reasons. They are intentionally injected with toxic substances and treated like toys to experiment on. Once scientists are done with an experiment, they insensitively murder the animal.
Not only is animal testing unethical, but it is also unreliable. The PETA organization stated this in one of their articles that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has noted that 95 percent of all drugs that are shown to be safe and effective in animal tests fail in human trials because they don’t work or are dangerous. This demonstrates why animal testing is extremely unnecessary. It is expensive for results that are ineffective and inaccurate. Ask yourself this — why should animals go through all this pain, if we aren’t even getting accurate results?
As I explained above, animal testing is not logical and should be prevented. There are many different alternatives and ways to prevent this cruelty. The Cruelty-Free International Organization explains that there are numerous options other than animal testing. This includes tests on human tissues, cell structures, computer models and so on. Other than these methods, we should also work together in boycotting non-cruelty-free brands, and inform others about this issue. Many substitutes would be more effective than animal testing.
In conclusion, animal testing is a continuing issue that is going on around us. It must be stopped because it’s brutal and undependable. Animals are constantly tortured and murdered for ineffective results. Imagine being trapped behind walls, in a confined space, getting fed unknown substances. Wouldn’t you feel lonely and afraid? That’s what these poor animals have to go through only for something as ridiculous as a tube of lip-gloss!