Ethical Issues Surrounding Animal Testing

2509 Words11 Pages
Rachael Fryer 12 C Is animal testing in the beauty industry ethically justifiable? Introduction: Animal Testing is defined as the use of non-human animals in research and development projects, especially for purposes of determining the safety of substances such as food or drugs for human consumption. The hypothesis is that animal testing cannot be justified. Justifiable is defined as able to be shown to be right or reasonable. Based on this definition one is able to gather what constitutes a justified action, process or system. This research intends to investigate the role of animal testing in the beauty industry in cosmetics trials and the ethical issues surrounding these tests. The information will be collected from existing articles…show more content…
According to the BBC, speciesism is the idea that being human is a good enough reason for human animals to have greater moral rights than non-human animals, a prejudice or bias in favour of the interests of members of one's own species and against those of members of other species. Speciesism is a key point in most arguments against animal testing. Animal testing often involves cruel treatment which leads to the animal’s death. The animals live a life of continuous unjust pain and suffering. Animal suffering is classified according to mild, moderate, substantial or unclassified levels of suffering. Many argue that this suffering is undue and the conclusions made through animal testing could be obtained through more ethically sound practices and experiments. There are alternatives to animal testing and there are many products which have been developed without the cruel practice of animal testing. Another aspect of the debate regarding animal testing is that which deals with the moral awareness of animals. This does however link with speciesism as it also deals with the argument that animals should be afforded the same level of respect and humane treatment as humans, and also that humans do not have the right to kill animals or force them into our service. Animals…show more content…
The Humane society’s Be Cruelty-Free campaign is linked to image 1 as this article discusses the ugly secrets of the beauty industry. The research question aims to determine whether animal testing in the beauty industry is ethically justifiable. This article explores the animal tests for cosmetics which factors into the ethical debate. Typically, the tests of cosmetics on animals include skin and eye irritation tests. Chemicals are rubbed onto the shaved skin or dripped into the eyes of (most commonly) rabbits. They are also repeatedly force fed chemicals. This type of testing can last anywhere from weeks to months, as testers are observing the rabbits for any sign of a deterioration of general health as well as specific health issues such as birth defects or cancer. Another form of testing, largely hidden from the public eye, is the ‘lethal dose’ test. This test involves the animal swallowing massive amounts of the chosen test chemical in order to determine the dosage that will result in death. Pain relief from the suffering is not provided despite the fact that all forms of testing cause pain and distress. Animals that have been tested on are usually killed, by means of asphyxiation,

More about Ethical Issues Surrounding Animal Testing

Open Document