When you buy eyeshadow palettes, foundation, hair dye or shampoo, do you ever notice a cute, tiny drawing of a rabbit somewhere on the packaging? That leaping bunny means the brand is certified cruelty-free – that means there is no animal testing involved in the process of making its products. Many beauty brands, like ColourPop and Physicians Formula, proudly boast their cruelty-free status, but other popular brands like NARS and Wet ‘n Wild still test their products on animals.
Like some cosmetics companies, many medicinal drugs are also tested on animals. Drugs like Synthroid (prescribed for hypothyroidism) and Nexium (prescribed for heartburn and acid reflux) are tested on animals (National Association for Biomedical Research).
While many animal-rights advocates have reasonable arguments against animal testing, there are actually quite a few rational arguments in support of animal testing, especially for medical research.
On one hand, some argue that animal testing has advanced medical research and have contributed to many medical breakthroughs, including penicillin, blood transfusion, and insulin. Most animals are biologically similar to humans, so they are susceptible to many of the same health problems as humans, like cancer and diabetes. Because of biological similarities, humans aren't the only ones to benefit from animal testing -- hundreds of drugs and treatments developed for human use are now routinely used in animal treatment at veterinary clinics as well.
On the other hand, many argue that animal testing is cruel and inhumane. In both medicinal and cosmetic testing, animals are inflicted with wounds and subject to painful tests. Many animals are also not covered under the Animal Welfare Act, including rats, mice, birds, and reptiles. Many also argue that there are alternatives to animal testing, like in vitro testing or testing on artificial human skin.
There's a lot of information and evidence to support either side of the argument, and everyone's definition of right or wrong is different. So what do you think? Is animal testing ethical?