Non-fiction Blogpost

      The book "Do Scientists Care About Animal Welfare?" by Eve Hartman and Weady Meshbesher is about the Ethical questions of animal testing and animal welfare. This book isn't very biased, and tells the readers both sides of the controversial topic of animal testing, farming, cloning, animals in the wild, and global warming. I will focus on the animal lab testing part of the book. The obvious main idea is the controversy over lab testing, and whether it is right or wrong. The authors do not have a clear bias, because they state both sides. The book explains how there are laws and policies that protect the lab animals from being treated cruelly. Also it states if it is wrong to breed animals to make more animals just for the purpose of their life to be tested on, then killed (with as little pain as possible, stated in one of the policies that protect the animals) ?
These authors tell us how most people who protest against lab testing wouldn't object to animals like parasites to be tested on, then say, a cat that would be tested on. Many scientists say that animal testing is necessary for cursing diseases and finding out more about our human body to prevent more diseases. However, animal testing for cosmetics is a totally different topic. The book also mentions how if it is right for the unwanted animals in shelters and pounds to be used for lab testing. It also says that scientists treat the animals in the best way as possible, treating them with the best nutrition and housing. It also raises the question of lab testing being too expensive. It costs a lot to take care of an animal, and the bigger it is, the more food and money has to be spent on it. That is why big animals like moose and giraffes are not commonly tested, unlike mice which are small and breed a lot ( or more than larger animals). Also, mice are like a mini-human and are used a lot to test diseases, and  maybe find a cure to AIDS and HIV. Some questions are raised in my head while reading this book.
        There are some ethical questions that pop up in my head. Such as, why is it not okay for lab testing to be done on animals like dogs, cats, monkeys, etc. but it is okay to test them on insects, parasites, etc.? They are all still in the Animalia Kingdom, and are still referred to as animals. Is it because they are not as cute? Humans are attracted to adorable pandas and such, but are revolted by the site of insects and bugs. Does species matter? Also, another question that came up in my mind was if animal lab testing was actually OK for  possibly finding cures to diseases, and expanding our knowledge of the world and health. If the animals are treated in the best care possible, is it alright for them to be tested, and then later killed after the experiment? And also, does the result even matter? In the end, you're still killing the animal. So why does the reason matter? Another thing is, lab animals are kept in cages. That creates stress for the animals, and that might affect or change the results of their experiments. So is lab testing that useful? There is also a controversy for using animals for education. Today I dissected a frog with my class. Was that wrong? We used those frogs for our own advantage to learn about their structure and body better, and also, our structure + body. These are some questions that kept me pondering on this topic.
         The authors tell the readers how animals used to be tested by Cosmetic companies to ensure that their product was safe, and how the people were protesting against it. It says "In one test, eye makeup was repeatedly applied to the eyes of rabbits. The rabbits were given much more makeup than people would ever use, and they were eventually blinded." This made me feel uncomfortable and pity for those rabbits. I think the author purposely did this to make the readers feel uncomfortable. They wanted us to feel sadness, and maybe anger towards those lab people that destroyed the rabbit's sight just for the sake of makeup. Is looking pretty that important to kill animals for it? The authors also wanted us to feel a bit guilty. Most people  wouldn't care if scientists used insects and millipedes for lab testing, but we care so much if they use pandas, or dogs for animal testing. They made us think if it's right to think that. They both do have a nervous system, and CAN feel pain. These are some things that the authors wanted us to feel.
        After reading this book, it has changed my opinion on lab testing a bit. In the beginning, I was totally opposed to lab testing, and was disgusted by the thought of it. But lab testing is also used to cure diseases that people long ago died by the thousands because of it. It could be very useful in the future, and could help us live longer + healthier lives. One thing got me outraged though. The use of animal testing on COSMETICS? It just made me furious. ARE WE REALLY THAT DESPERATE TO LOOK PRETTY? It's just makeup for heaven's sake. It's not worth ruining a poor innocent rabbit's eyes. This just really made me mad. I am glad that people took a stand, and protested against it. I really hope that Cosmetic companies find a better, alternative ways to test makeup because I will not accept animals being dragged into our stupid selfishness vanity. This topic makes me have such a stir of emotions, and that is why I find this topic so intriguing. It is also why I am doing my Social Action topic on Animal Welfare. Animal welfare really is a very tricky and controversial topic. It limits the boundaries of right and wrong.