Animal Testing. Brandon Sandlin. Psychology 1010. Professor

Animal Testing Brandon Sandlin Psychology 1010 Professor Caplandies March 24th, 2017 Animal testing has risen as an extremely controversial topic among scientists and animal rights activists. Many see it as a necessary part of finding cures for thousands of diseases. On the other hand, animal rights activists believe it is an inhumane, harsh, and unnecessary flaw in science. The argument can go back and forth but I believe animal testing should not be used in today’s technically advanced era. The laws are flawed, the failures are evident, and the available alternatives prove that animal testing should be indefinitely banned for future science experiments. Animal Testing is nothing new, it has been going on for hundreds of years†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Its enforcement is delegated to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, whose inspectors make unannounced site visits to research facilities† (Latham). This brings up the first loophole in the act because these â€Å"unannounced site visits† are not as common as they should be. One pet shop may only be visited once a year which is clearly not enough to deem the establishment law abiding. Secondly, the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 doesn’t protect all animals, but rather a small group of animals. Latham states, â€Å"it contains special regulations addressed to certain animal favorites: dogs, cats, rabbits, and monkeys†¦But in fact the law has never reached the bulk of warm-blooded animals actually used in research†. This seems contradictive to me. Why would you protect only a handful of animals but not the ones most prominently used in testing such as chimpanzees, rats, and guinea pigs? I believe the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 needs to be amended once again to improve its blanket of coverage and increase site visits. Going hand in hand with the Animal Welfare Act of 1966, the Three R’s are also intended to protect animal’s welfare. The Three R’s is a tenet that represents the ethical principles to guide researchers – Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement. The purpose of The Three R’s is explained by Fenwick, Griffin, Gauthier when they said, â€Å"The tenet is grounded in the premise that animals should be used only if a