Animals Should Not Be Used for Drug Development or Medical Research — Argumentative Essay

‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated’, said Mahatma Gandhi. Indeed the way we treat our animal resource reflects our moral and ethical progress. This is because animals too enjoy basic rights and therefore we must show compassion and benevolence to them, as we do to fellow human beings. This is because animals like us also experience pain and suffering. They too are as much God’s creation, as man himself. Hence to use them for experiments, for drug development or medical research, is totally unethical.

Man has from times immemorial, exploited animals to serve his own selfish ends. They have made his life comfortable by catering to his various needs like transportation and food. It is therefore against the basic tenets of morality, to perpetuate pain and suffering on these poor creatures such as pigs, dogs, frogs, etc., on the pretext of facilitating medical research. We have no right to destroy, what we cannot create. The life of an animal is also precious and invaluable, as the life of a human. Destroying them in this manner is trampling on their basic right to live and hence morally wrong and unacceptable.

Some people advocate their use for medical research, on the grounds of expedience, for the larger benefit of mankind. However, this is an absurd logic, which cannot justify the daily extermination of millions of frogs, birds, etc., by school and college students, to make them aware of the basic metabolic system. We all know, that only a miniscule number of students, actually pursue a career in medicine or pharmacology. The majority migrate to other fields like commerce and arts. It is indeed a colossal waste of precious life sacrificed at the altar of the above premise, with no benefit accruing to mankind.

Such senseless killing of animals is socially unacceptable, for it shows our complete insensitivity towards them. Killing them in such a wanton manner, makes us cruel and uncaring even towards our own fellow human beings. This callous attitude to life is reflected in the growing incidence of violence in the society, especially among the youth.

We have over the centuries used animals for our own betterment. This, however, does not give us the right to sacrifice their lives. Our senseless actions have already made many species of animals extinct, endangering the ecological balance of nature. We can only advocate the above to our own peril.

Instead of using animals for drug development and medical research, there is need to develop advanced technology to simulate the various life processes. We should only, in special cases, use animals for the above. This would minimise our interference with Nature. It would also make the universe a better place to live in with less pain and suffering, to all living beings, be it man or beast.