Sabrian Holtz Jeff Barker photo

I feel that animal testing is cruel because it can cause disease or even kill an animal. Many animals that are tested on have critical diseases after being tested. One thing that could result is paralysis. This makes it impossible for the animal to move any longer. Lots of animals are killed purposely to make furs. Dogs are sometimes used in combat training and wounded purposely to see if doctors can fix them for if humans are hurt in this training. But because dogs are not really similar to humans, this testing does not produce relevant results. A test commonly used in testing is called the Draize Test. The liquid is put in a conscious albino rabbit’s eyes. The animal suffers severe eye damage. Another is called the Acute Toxity Test. This tests purpose is to determine how much of a substance is needed to kill 50% of a group of animals.

Using animals for human research does not necessarily produce the same results as it would in humans. For example, going back to the albino rabbits-the eye damage is studied to try to correct it if it would happen in humans. Rabbits’ eyes and humans’ eyes are not anywhere near the same. A monkey was tested on in China to find techniques for human facial surgery. Our faces are not the same as a monkey’s face. A few apes in a lab were hooked up to machines to see if they could communicate to see if a mute could communicate through this machine. But our brain doesn’t work completely the same as an ape.

Many people feel strongly about stopping animal testing. Some people sat in cages dressed like monkeys to protest the use of monkeys in sound blast environments. People say that humans should need to get a pet license to have pets because of all the animals dying from pet abuse. Hundreds of groups have formed across the U.S. to try to establish laws against testing that harms animals. Some laws have been passed but some severe testing is still legal. There have been many, many protests outside labs since the nineteenth century. Sometimes police listen to the protesters and other times the police just arrest them for protesting on private property.

Imagine having chemicals and/or drugs that you don’t know being syringed into you. How would that make you feel? As one protester’s sign read “Imagine having your body left to science with you still in it.” I know I would hate that. After reading this, I hope that you have decided how bad animal testing can be for animals. Thank you for reading my story about my opinion from the facts that I found.

Editor’s Note: Sabrina Holtz is a student at the South Tama Middle School in Toledo. She is one of five members of the sixth- grade taking part in the National Day of Writing Program in the class of Laura Edwards. Assisting in the project are teachers Amy Stotts and Shanna Goos.

One of the projects was to write an editorial. The four other student editorials have or will be published in upcoming issues of The News-Herald and Toledo Chronicle.