Although cures for epidemics in the past such as tuberculosis, malaria, and hepatitis B (“Medical Benefits”) have been discovered through the use of animal testing, the inhumane treatment of the animals, the corruptness in the Animal Welfare Act of 1966; a law designed to protect the tested animals, and the modern advancements in technology with disease testing capability, show that the continued usage of animals in laboratories is both immoral and obsolete. Even though success came from literal “test monkeys”, the world today has evolved into having the resources to perform the objectives of lab beasts, cruelty free. Therefore, those who claim that animal testing is essential to the human race, are either unaware of its impact on the test subjects, or heartless monsters. Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, focuses on the need for individual freedom, and places it higher than the needs of the group. In this case, the individual party is identified as each animal held labs, while the whole group consists of the human population. The days of keeping other beings locked up and inducing torture became illegal with the abolishment of slavery, so why should humans be allowed to act the same way towards less intelligent beings?

Once major problems in a society are acknowledged by the law making body of a government, laws are enacted to resolve the problem. One day in 1965, a Pennsylvanian family searched upstate for their missing dalmatian, Pepper. A local dealer denied the family the chance to search his farm, and even the FBI and state troopers couldn’t do anything. The dog was found to have been sold to a laboratory in the Bronx, and ended up with its chest cut open due to a failed cardiac pacemaker test (“Pepper Goes to Washington”). Once the story went to the capitol, the Animal Welfare Act was passed in 1966. This law requires facilities to be licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture, laboratories to be inspected at least twice a year by the APHIS, and must submit annual reports to the USDA (“Myth of Treatment”). The act also urges the regulation of care and usage of animals in research, testing, teaching, exhibition, and during transport, which applies to dogs, cats, nonhuman primates, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, and other warm blooded animals. However, these animals only account for 10% used in testing laboratories. The other 90%  contains mice, rats, bred birds, fish, reptiles, and other cold blooded animals, whom are not protected. They weren’t even given minimal care in facilities (“Laws and Regulations”). The act, was an attempt for the US government to provide some relief for animals from their painful suffering. However, it was corrupt. The requirements of the law allow laboratories to do as they please to their test subjects, without being caught. For example, labs could anticipate inspection dates, and could put up a false act until the inspection is over. Actions done to the animals in privacy do not exclude restrainment, tranquilization, beatings, confinement in steel cages, starvation, and denial of painkillers. This kind of treatment in these facilities regularly cause the victims to develop psychological disorders, which ultimately leads to self- mutilation (“Undercover”). Although the law is not heavily enforced, even the intensification of the Animal Welfare Act or the creation of new laws, will not stop these malevolent crimes from occurring. Animals are only claimed to be treated with some sense of worth. Only with the discontinuation of using animal test subjects, will the hypocrisy of the United States government be diminished.

Technological advancements all throughout history, have constantly evolved the human race in aspects such as farming and medicine. Well, in this modern day and age, developers have been able to synthesize innovative ways to test for diseases cruelty-free, and without the hassle of high costs in order to sustain animals’ lives. For example, “in vitro” or in glass testing has human cells examined in a petri dish. Diseases for humans can be studied more effectively, due to actual human cells being tested, instead of a nonhuman subject. It is already proven that in vitro testing is even cheaper than the more widely used method today. Humane Society International compared using animals versus in vitro and discovered that in an “‘unscheduled DNA synthesis’ animal test costs $32,000, while the in vitro alternative costs $11,000. A ‘rat phototoxicity test’ costs $11,500, whereas the non-animal equivalent costs $1,300. A ‘rat uterotrophic assay’ costs $29,600, while the corresponding in vitro test costs $7,200”(“Animal Testing”). Even if the government has a heart of stone and can’t acknowledge the cruelty, they should at least take note of the amount of money they could be saving. Thus proving, that the continued use of animals isn’t only a moral and social problem, but an economic problem as well. In addition, microdosing on human volunteers and studying blood samples proves to be very reliable, since actual human parts are used and the dosage doesn’t harm the human. There are many other alternative ways to conduct research, such as computer modeling and artificial human skin, but one of the most noteworthy ones can be identified as Microfluidic chips. Also known also as “organs on a chip”, these are “microchips that recapitulate the microarchitecture and functions of living organs, such as the lung, heart, and intestine… [where] Each individual organ-on-chip is composed of a clear flexible polymer about the size of a computer memory stick that contains hollow microfluidic channels lined by living human cells. Because the microdevices are translucent, they provide a window into the inner workings of human organs” (“Organs on Chips”). Microfluidic chips combat the counter argument towards in vitro, which claims that it is unreliable since human cells don’t have organs (“Animal Testing”). This is in its advanced stages of development, and is hoped to reduce animal casualties and bring to light the importance of animal freedom. Ayn Rand, a supporter of individualism, showed that individual achievement in technology(as well as in other fields) is highly important, and can even benefit the entire group. In Anthem, the protagonist named Equality 7-2521, looked to satisfy his quest for knowledge. He did this despite being placed as a street sweeper, and not being allowed to walk outside his given path. Equality discovered a glass box with copper wires poking out, and through the use of a dead frog, discovered electricity (Rand 52-53). Equality’s society was backward at the time, meaning that in the future, it suffered a dark age, and reverted back to pre industrial revolution technology, such as using candles for light. The World Council of Scholars were a group of people deemed “superior” to everyone else in this collectivist society, and were Equality’s desired audience for his new invention. Upon showing the Council his box, he uttered, “Let us all work together, and harness this power, and make it ease the toil of men”(Rand 53). The protagonist’s strive for individual achievement through research and experimentation, portrayed Ayn Rand’s belief in individualism, in that individual achievement is above all.. Through Equality’s acquired individual freedom, the group could’ve benefitted. The electricity would “ease the toil of man”, and make their lives easier. Humans and animals would benefit from the abolishment of experimentation, since costs would be low and less harm to families.  The box can bridge improvement in Equality’s society, while non animal tests have the ability to help present day society: “Let us throw away our candles and our torches. Let us flood our cities with light. Let us bring a new light to me”(Rand 53). The box relates to new technologies in the present day, since they both share light on controversial issues, and are never accepted.

Aside from the carefully picked flaws in the Animal Welfare Act, and the complicated technological advancements that serve as alternatives to animal testing, the most obvious thing to claim about this topic, is that animal abuse is morally wrong. Animals, born into concrete walls and frigid, steel bars, never get to see their families again or find a mate. What’s even worse, is that some animals are taken out of the free wild and put through hell. Everyday they feel what they are missing, but simply can’t put it into words. These indifferent scientists do not hesitate to carry out their experiments. Chimps, for example are physically clamped down into a machine and injected with a random vile of a substance. They are denied pain killers, and were often times induced to pain (“World’s Largest Chimp Laboratory”). Once finished, the chimps are put back in their cells with concrete floors, in solitary. They long for the touch of another animal, but aren’t answered. This undoubtedly gives the chimps psychological trauma and either lead to self mutilation, or sometimes dropping to the concrete floor, dying on impact (“World’s Largest Chimp Laboratory”). In case the subjects don’t escape their misery by themselves, the scientists often break necks or decapitate them. Someone who opposes animal cruelty in labs also sees value in not solely humans. In Herman Hesse’s book Siddhartha, Siddhartha Gautama underwent a transformation toward the path to enlightenment. He learned to give up all material possessions, embrace nature, and became the founder of the religion of Buddhism. At the end of his journey, he picked up a stone and said, “This...is a stone and within a certain length of time it will perhaps be soil and from the soil it will become plant, animal or man...but perhaps because within the cycle of change it can also become man and spirit, it is also of importance”(Hesse 145). Siddhartha believed that everything in nature had value because through change, it can become man and spirit. Animals in laboratories are not shown to have value. These acts of “speciesism” (the idea that more advanced animals have the right to act as they please towards others of lesser intelligence) are merciless, and  done to those who do not have the ability to express themselves or to think freely. Humans and chimps, as well as mice are very common genetic-wise, so why does the human race treat these different races with such cruelty? The days of inflicting grueling violence on another being of similar genetic types should’ve ended when slavery was abolished. 

Despite all of the factual reasons to discard animal usage in laboratories, there are people who still can’t connect the dots, even on an emotional aspect. They cling to their underlying notion that animals were put on this Earth only to serve for the purpose of mankind. For instance, the developments of vaccines for Hepatitis B, malaria, and tuberculosis were the result of animal testing. Hepatitis B was injected to six chimpanzees, while five weren’t. Both groups were exposed to 1000 infectious doses of the disease, and resulted with the protected six unharmed and the other five infected (“Result Filters”). Malaria vaccines are being developed from rodent models (“Spoonful of Medicine”). Mice, rabbits, and guinea pigs proved to be susceptible to TB, and therefore were used for experimentation (“Tuberculosis”). Although those diseases were able to be battled through vaccinations from animal tests, not all drugs for diseases are safe for either party. For example, the sleeping pill thalidomide (1950s) was administered to people and caused 10,000 babies to be born with several deformities (“Animal Testing”). The drug did pass animal tests, but produced problems with humans. Or even, “Fk-506 (tacrolimus), used to lower the risk of organ transplant rejection, was "almost shelved" because of animal test results” (“Animal Testing”). Animals are proven to not be all that reliable, and it’s because of that, many drugs made for diseases have been recalled or discarded, and sometimes the recalled item could be what scientists were looking for. Also, people believe that animals make good test subjects, because human dna and animal dna are similar. Chimpanzees share 99% of their genetic code with humans, while mice are 98%. This therefore makes mice and chimps susceptible to human diseases. However, “the anatomic, metabolic, and cellular differences between animals and people make animals poor models for human beings”(“Animal Testing”). In simple terms, because humans aren’t mice in a lab, tests are not accurate due to non compatibility.  

The U.S. participation and lack of action against the perdition of animals, displays that the complete outlawing of animal testing is the only way to resolve the problem. It is a restriction of individual rights for those who can’t communicate with the people who stole their land and created cities with them. Humans should not be allowed to put others in misery, especially those who have the preconceived notion that they are better than another group. This level of speciesism only leads to more violence and destruction. Non animal testing can also reduce government money spending. Even though past tests have provided vaccines and drugs for diseases, more effective and safe ones could’ve been widely used, but the differences between animal and human metabolic processes came into play. Thus, making animal testing unreliable, as well as expensive and morally wrong. There’s no need to torture animals while living, with the arrival of new technology. It’s time for the human race to evolve once more into a more conflict-free people, in terms of finding cures.
 

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