Read the passage carefully and answer ALL the questions below.
Testing Drugs on Animals could soon be a Thing of the Past
Animal rights groups and cosmetics industry giants are joining forces to say no to animal cruelty specifically to animal testing. In this context, animal testing means the use of animals in research for the purpose of advancing human concerns such as drug efficacy and the safety of products such as cosmetics (Grover, 2020). This however is an effort full of controversies and difficult ethical arguments.
Animal experimentation has clear and undeniable benefits to humankind, for example, the development of drugs to combat deadly diseases. At the same time, some types of testing subject animals to cruel and inhumane procedures, which automatically cancel out any benefits of animal testing to humans. The factual basis of this quandary is because people have varying sentiments for animals. Some consider
them as companions while others take them as a means of accentuating their research. Using animals for the sake of research has been a heated debate topic for decades.
Recently, the Malacca chief minister, Mohamad Ali Rustam, defended plans to build an animal testing medicine lab in his state, saying God created monkeys and rats for experiments to benefit humans. He further mentioned that the lab had been approved, and animal testing was necessary to make drugs. "We cannot test on human beings," he said. "God created monkeys, and some have to be tested."
Those strong proponents of animal testing repeatedly put forth the notion that the landscape of modern medicine would unquestionably be vastly different without animal testing in the mix (Holford, 2021 & Zalcberg, 2017). Life-saving medications and vaccines are the reason for this in vivo testing. For example, research on dogs in which the animals' pancreases were removed led to the discovery of insulin in the early 20th century; this has saved and improved the lives of millions of diabetics worldwide.
Another example is the polio vaccine. It was developed for human use only after it was tested on animals, and it has helped reduce this dreaded disease to near-irrelevance. Adding more to the list is the advances in breast cancer, brain trauma, leukemia, cystic fibrosis, malaria, multiple sclerosis, and tuberculosis are directly attributable to animal experimentation, and without testing on chimpanzees, there would be no hepatitis B vaccine (Johnson, 2018). Fact (this is because, this statement taken from a research done by Johnson in 2018. This findings of this research validate such a claim that because of the animal testing, all these illnesses have a cure now)
With the advent of modern molecular biology and its analytical methods, scientists can now quantify the precise extent to which humans resemble other animals, genetically speaking. This aspect of similarity to humans validates the claim that animal testing is necessary. According to Sanger and Knowles (2013), chimpanzees and humans share 99 percent of their DNA, and even mice and humans have a 98 percent overlap in this area. All mammals have the same essential internal organs, and these all fall victim to the same general maladies, such as heart disease and various cancers. For these reasons, scientists can confidently apply the results of a panoply of medical experiments on animals to human beings and be more confident when it is time to experiment on humans directly in clinical trials.
As technology moves forward, there has been an increasing number of alternatives to animal testing and there is less and less need for animal experimentation (Wright & Waters, 2011). The majority of animal experiments do not contribute to improving human health, and the value of the role that animal experimentation plays in most medical advances is questionable. The National Institutes of Health reports that 95 out of every 100 drugs that pass animal tests fail in humans.
Over and above, Jenkins (2021) also confessed that animal 55 experiments prolong the suffering of humans waiting for effective cures because the results mislead experimenters and squander precious money, time, and other resources that could be spent on human-relevant research. Animal experiments are so worthless that up to half of them are never even published. Hence, animal testing nowadays is wasteful and costly. In vivo testing uses approximately 115 million animals every year globally, and only 59 new medicines were approved by authorities in the year 2018. The U.S. drug industry invests $50 billion every year in research, and the approval rate for new medication is just as the same as it was 50 years ago (Chatfield, 2019).
According to Wrigley (2016), it is also significant to note that animals do not get heart diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s, or schizophrenia, so the experiments performed on them are often ineffective. Moreover, animal testing takes months, years, and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide results. It is a very time consuming and costly process. Besides, forward-thinking scientists have developed humane, modern, and effective non-animal research methods including organs-on-chips, organoids, human-based micro dosing, in vitro technology, human-patient simulators, and sophisticated computer modeling, that are cheaper, faster, and more accurate than animal tests.
Millions of animals, including dogs, cats, rats, mice, rabbits, pigs, and many others, are sacrificed in the name of scientific research. It really is a genuine tragedy that makes it crucial to understand that the choice is not between humans and animals, but it is between good science and bad science. Major drug companies and the scientific community likely will fight this initiative, just as they have in past years because they do not want 80 to change how they do business. However, there seems to be some ground for hope as several important animal rights victories, including President Trump’s ban on using dogs in experiments, has some firms and many scientists worried about the future of such research.
Answer ALL the questions.
1. There are 17 SDGs proposed by the United Nation to be achieved by the year 2030. Which goal is the best to represent this passage?
A. SDG 15 - Life on Land
B. SDG 13 - Climate Action
C. SDG 14 - Life Below Water
D. SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
2. Identify a FACT in the passage. Provide justification / reasoning for your answer.
Adding more to the list is the advances in breast cancer, brain trauma, leukemia, cystic fibrosis, malaria, multiple sclerosis, and tuberculosis are directly attributable to animal experimentation, and without testing on chimpanzees, there would be no hepatitis B vaccine (Johnson, 2018).
This is because, this statement is taken from a research done by Johnson in 2018. The findings of this research validate such claim that because of the animal testing, all these illnesses have a cure now.
3. Identify an OPINION in the passage. Provide justification / reasoning for your answer.
God created monkeys and rats for experiments to benefit humans.
This is an opinion because this statement is not the truth about the existence of monkeys and rats. Furthermore, not everyone will agree with such statement.
4. "Research on dogs in which the animals' pancreases were removed led to the discovery of insulin in the early 20th century; this has saved and improved the lives of millions of diabetics worldwide" (lines 25-28)
Identify the TONE used in this phrase. What makes you think so?
The tone for this statement is happy (gratified / satisfied / proud). The author seems to be happy and proud about the achievement of the research on animal testing which has saved millions of lives around the world
5. "It really is a genuine tragedy that makes it crucial to understand that the choice is not between humans and animals, but it is between good science and bad science" (lines 76-79)
Identify the TONE used in this phrase. What makes you think so?
The tone for this statement is upset/distressed/frustrated. The author is sad because the animal testing to him/her is an unfortunate event and that it is very hard to make others realize the seriousness of this issue.
6. Overall, what is the AUTHOR'S PERSPECTIVE towards the topic / issue? Provide justification for your answer by listing down 3 reasons given by the author in the passage.
The author has a relatively progressive view towards animal testing and hopes researchers to move forward and abandon animal testing once and for all. The author believes that animal testing did offer some benefits in the past but now it is irrelevant.
- There are too many cases where the drugs manages to pass the animal test but still fail in humans
- Animal testing is expensive and also time consuming, in which it prolong the suffering of humans waiting for effective cures
- These animals do not get all the diseases so the experiments done on them are ineffective
7. What is the AUTHOR'S CONFLICTING OPINION / VIEW / PERSPECTIVE of the issue? Provide justification / reasoning for your answer by listing down 3 reasons based on the passage.
The conflicting view of this topic is that animal testing is the best option to know the efficacy/successfulness and safety of certain drugs or cosmetics. Without animal testing, researchers have to do/perform human trial instead
- There are many examples of live-saving medication and vaccines that have helped humankind thanks to animal testing
- A long list of dreaded illnesses are vanished owning to animal testing
- Genetically, human being resembles animals with a high percentage of 98-99 percent similarities
8. By using your own words, which view from the passage do you agree? Please provide 3 specific reasons for your stand.
I disagree with the author that animal testing should be banned because humans are harmed because of misleading animal testing results. Misleading results may result in clinical trials of biologically
9. Recommend 3 specific ways that are in line with the related Sustainable Development Goals to raise awareness about the issue among fellow MALAYSIANS. Please elaborate each method.
- Worldwide awareness campaign on this issue by sharing infographic and other educational materials showing the gruesome images of animal experimentation
- Spreading awareness by promoting cosmetic products that do not support animal testing/ to boycott cosmetic product that practice animal testing so it could change the mindset of Malaysians
- Tax exemption for these cruelty free companies and high tax for these big companies.
Comments
Post a Comment