Editorials

Animals Have Rights, Too By:Sabrina I feel that animal testing is cruel because it can cause disease or even kill an animal. Many animals that are tested on have critical diseases after being tested. One thing that could result is paralysis. This makes it impossible for the animal to move any longer. Lots of animals are killed purposely to make furs. Dogs are sometimes used in combat training and wounded purposely to see if doctors can fix them for if humans are hurt in this training. But because dogs are not really similar to humans, this testing does not produce relevant results. A test commonly used in testing is called the Draize Test. The liquid is put in a conscious albino rabbit’s eyes. The animal suffers severe eye damage. Another is called the Acute Toxity Test. This tests purpose is to determine how much of a substance is needed to kill 50% of a group of animals. Using animals for human research does not necessarily produce the same results as it would in humans. For example, going back to the albino rabbits-the eye damage is studied to try to correct it if it would happen in humans. Rabbits’ eyes and humans’ eyes are not anywhere near the same. A monkey was tested on in China to find techniques for human facial surgery. Our faces are not the same as a monkey’s face. A few apes in a lab were hooked up to machines to see if they could communicate to see if a mute could communicate through this machine. But our brain doesn’t work completely the same as an ape. Many people feel strongly about stopping animal testing. Some people sat in cages dressed like monkeys to protest the use of monkeys in sound blast environments. People say that humans should need to get a pet license to have pets because of all the animals dying from pet abuse. Hundreds of groups have formed across the U.S. to try to establish laws against testing that harms animals. Some laws have been passed but some severe testing is still legal. There have been many, many protests outside labs since the nineteenth century. Sometimes police listen to the protesters and other times the police just arrest them for protesting on private property. Imagine having chemicals and/or drugs that you don’t know being syringed into you. How would that make you feel? As one protester’s sign read “Imagine having your body left to science with you still in it.” I know I would hate that. After reading this, I hope that you have decided how bad animal testing can be for animals. Thank you for reading my story about my opinion from the facts that I found.

My editorial was published December 28, 2010 in __The Toledo Chronicle__

** Animal Testing ** ** By: Shelby ** Have you ever seen on a cosmetic bottle not tested on animals and picked the one that was? Animal testing is very bad because there not necessary, it’s bad for animals, and they treat the animals very badly. First, animal testing is not necessary. Most animal tests are inconclusive. Sometimes even if the product hurts the animals it is sold in stores. Animals and human are very different. And animal testing isn’t required by law. Secondly, it’s very bad for animals. The stress and boredom sometimes causes them to rock back and forth, spin without stopping, pull out there hair, and to bite their skin. Almost 100 million die yearly. Some animals are poisoned, blinded, bleed, and all of them are killed. Third, they treat the animals very badly. They lock all the animals in cages. 95% of animals are mice, birds, rats, and cold-blooded animals. That is because they are not covered by the Animal Welfare Act. Animals are forced to inhale toxic fumes, eat pesticides, have corrosive chemicals rubbed on their skin and eyes. Thus, animal testing is bad because it’s not necessary, it’s bad for animals, and they treat the animals very badly. The next time you’re in the store look for the label that says it has not been tested on animals. Animal testing should be illegal!

__Medical Mistakes Making Misery__ //by Kelsie//
 * Did you know that about 2,900 animals are abused, tortured, maimed, and eventually killed every __HOUR__ due to medical testing? Well, it's true. What makes this fact even more shameful is the fact that __we__ sin. Those creatures have done nothing worthy of the treatment that we make them endure. If anyone is actually deserving of this treatment, it would** **most likely be us. The sinners. Yet that would be illegal, so we do it to them.We have the power to stop this sin. Sadly, though, we don't.If they sin, it is either our fault for not teaching them better, or their wild instincts which may be occasionally hard for them to control.**
 * First of all, what works on animals does not always work on us.Our body functions are different, and they work differently. For example, there's chocolate. Dogs are allergic to it. We are not.This is sometimes the same with medicines. They can not only harm the lab animals, but us as well. One medicine was declared safe after animal testing, and then caused birth defects in tens of thousands of babies. Then, there's the fact that scientists are giving human diseases to monkeys to see what will happen if they try to cure them. If it doesn't work, the animals are no longer of use to the scientists.Ask yourself this: Are monkeys humans? No! So their reactions are not proof of cures that work, and therefore, it was not worth locking those poor creatures up in cold cages.**
 * Now take a moment and think. What if you were that animal? The humans whose species you formerly trusted rub shampoo and other stuff in your eyes and fur, which could cause you to shed all your fur or go blind, stab you with needles, and perform dozens of other harmful experiments. Then you are shoved into a cold cage with the knowledge that any minute could be among your last. You can't fight them, and they are deaf to your cries for help.**
 * How would you feel? Millions of animals are experiencing that right now, and for them it's not just something that they are imagining, not just a nightmare. For them, it's real. It's their life, no matter how much they dislike it. Millions of cats, dogs, monkeys, rabbits, rodents, and hundreds of other creatures are in those terrible conditions right now. They are living, breathing creatures just like us, yet we insist on ruining their lives. How cruel can we be?**
 * When animals are used for testing, they may die. If not, they are often euthanized.The people who test on them say that it is to put an end to their suffering, but who caused them to suffer? Those same people who supposedly want to "end" the animals' pain! Make-up and soap are the two most popular testing items. Rabbits are the animals who are usually the subjects of cosmetic testing, and often end up with painful irritation in the skin and eyes. We have soap and make-up already.Why do we need so much more? Some designers of these products test for toxicness //not// to decrease the level of toxicness in the product, but just to know how toxic it is. Why do we buy these products?**
 * This is all very wrong. What happens to those poor animals is cruel and unjust.It is our duty as human beings to change the terrible predicament that they are in. We __can__ rescue the millions of helpless animals. We __can__ stop people with evil intentions from carrying them out. We can and we should. The question is, when will we?**

Animal Testing Should Not Be Allowed By: Brandon Imagine that one day, your parents tell you that you have a doctor’s appointment. You go, wait in the waiting room, then, when your name is called, you are taken into a dark room and sent into a cage. You are then forced to take a medicine that tastes awful and is going to give you a severe disease. You all of a sudden get very sick, and the doctor can’t cure you. You are now useless to scientists so you are euthanized. You may think of this as a horror movie, but many animals including mice, cats, dogs, rabbits, and other primates, go through this torture every day.

In one experiment, scientists created genetically modified pigs that had a disease currently incurable. If there was no cure to the disease, the pigs would be euthanized One major factor to consider: Animals have different bodily functions than humans. For example, we arent’t allergic to chocolate, but dogs are. This is true for many other things, too. It can be unsafe to use something just because it worked on animals. This could prove unsafe for both the humans and the animals. As you can see, medical testing may have some benefits, but there are more problems and suffering than there is good.

Medical Testing is Misery! By Emily

Medical testing on animals is wrong! People use products that are unsuccessful on animals anyway, even though we test on animals to find solutions. Animals cannot up for themselves, so it is our job to make their voices heard. Animals are tested on substances that have already proven to be dangerous. Also, human bodies function differently than animals, and we have different systems. We test on animals to compare the results to humans. Since we function differently, there could be complications and inaccurate results. Many people are unaware of how the animals live and how they are treated every day. Animals are most commonly housed in steel cages, with no “comfort objects” such as beds and small toys. Animals’ cages are daily sprayed down and sanitized with bleach every day. Unfortunately, animals are not removed from the cages during the cleanings, resulting in poisonings from the bleach. Animals are sworn at, hit, and tortured outside the labs, not even mentioning what happens inside the lab. There were more than 3.5 million animals involved in product testing in 2009. That is the greatest amount of animals involved in 20 years. Labs receive government science funding to conduct experiments. Mice are the most commonly used animal, but other animals such as rabbits, cats, dogs, and monkeys are also used. Rabbits are used because of their inability to flush poisons out of their eyes, and they are then thrown away after serving their purpose. Beagles are the most commonly used dog because of their obedient nature. How can animals say if something hurts? If a product is used on them, and something doesn’t feel right, how can they tell us? Scientists can only assess the results that show on the outside, not how the animals truly feel. We have cell-based tissue models, so why do we kill innocent animals every day? Animal testing is wrong and ineffective. Some people believe that if we do not test on animals, we will all die of horrible diseases. This, I regret to report, is pure ignorance. Yes, diseases have been cured. But nine out of ten experiments are terribly unsuccessful. It takes scientists years to create a product that actually works. This kills thousands of animals, and this is just one disease. It was terribly wrong when human beings like the Gypsies, African Americans, and Jews were used in laboratory testing. It is also wrong to use and torture animals. Animals testing is inaccurate because animals’ bodies react to substances differently than humans do. Animals testing is wrong and unjust, and is not the way Americans should find solutions. I feel it is our job to step up and take action for things that are not right.

My editorial was published in January 2010 in the __Bulletin Journal.__