Animal tesing in medical research - Essay Example

However, the cons of animal testing include killing of countless animals for experimentation, huge costs incurred for feeding and caring for the animals, and unreliability of animal testing because many drugs may not function in the same manner on both human and animal bodies. Animal testing is a controversial topic and has been subjected to various misinformation and biased opinions. The paper tries to show both sides of the issue and keeps a positive stand regarding animal testing in medical research.

Canadian Health Care Animal testing happens in all countries but in varying degrees. In Canada, animal testing is regulated by the Canadian Council of Animal Care (CCAC). Health Canada is responsible for the overall protection of the Canadian population, which includes protection against the harmful effects of a medication or drug. For this purpose, Canada supports animal tests for development of medicines and healthcare. Canada emphasizes minimizing the suffering of animals by using other available alternatives.

Canada encourages “refinement, replacement and reduction techniques” in animal testing. The CCAC ensures that animals are tested in an ethical manner and under proper conditions. It also stresses that animals should be given as many care facilities as possible within the area of the experimental method. They must also be maintained in a humane manner when they are used. CACC also supervises the laboratories as well as the hygiene and medical needs of animals, and whether a proper dose of pain relievers is given to the animals.

There are, however, many organizations in Canada, which oppose animal testing unless absolutely necessary for innovations of better medical facilities. Canada is ready to abolish animal testing if alternatives are discovered, which has yet not happened (Murnaghan, 2010). Pros of Animal Testing Animal testing in most cases ensures safety of use of medicines and products on human beings since they were first tested on animals before introducing them in the market. Knowledge gained from vivisection of animals in laboratories has helped the medical researchers to know more about cardiovascular diseases of human beings and as a result, there has been a decrease in human deaths due to this disease.

Animals are used for research only when there is no alternative way. Animal testing also helps in preservation of the environment. Animals are treated in a humane manner during the course of experimentation. Although animal testing is not a flawless method to guarantee success, it nevertheless reduces the risk of experimentation on human body by ensuring a reasonable possibility of success (Khan, 2011, p. 202). Since human body is an extremely complicated machine, it is necessary for medical researchers to use tools that replicate this complexity.

Human body has trillions of cells that work in incredible precision for proper working of all organ systems. In spite of various innovations such as cell cultures and computer models which are strong techniques in the war against human diseases, animals are the closest to replicating this complexity of human body. In the absence of animal tests, medical research would be highly hampered. To minimize the genetic difference between animals and human beings, researchers have invented many methods such as genetically altering animals so that they imitate more closely the human physiology.

This has made it possible for scientists to perform those experiments on animals that are not viable on human body even without concerning