IELTS, TOEFL and PTE Academic Writing Task, the Essay
The Essay Question:
Some people think it is necessary to use animals for testing medicines intended for human use. While others say it is not right to use animals on this way. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.
The Essay:
Whether utilising animals to test the effectiveness of medicines that will be consumed by human beings is ethical or not, is a moot point. I believe this is not right, since in this process animals are subject to harmful unnatural practices.
To begin with, helpless animals are put in enclosures and injected with drugs for checking its outcome. In this method, animals suffer physiological changes that are unnatural and some even die during the tests. Animals have to survive in a cage while it is not their natural habitat, thus restricting their free movement.
Moreover, all animals have equal rights on the planet and are critical in maintaining the ecological balance on planet earth. For instance, the poor mice that are normally used in various medicinal research laboratories, are a key element of the food chain on earth and thus are indispensable. Besides, humans have no right to subject others fauna to torture, for their own selfish needs, just because they are powerful, which is as good as slavery.
Nonetheless, few say that animals made use of for verifying the impact of newly developed drugs for human consumption, is needed and is the only way to know the efficacy since human life is more valuable and medicines cannot be directly tested on people. Additionally, they argue that animals replicate faster and there would be little difference in their population.
To conclude, according to me, it is unethical to make use of animals, to run a check on the usefulness of medicines that are meant for humans, which is not only tantamount to anguish for animals but also unethical. Although, few think this is required as people’s life is of greater value.