Animals should not be subjected to product testing. In many labs they are treated in an inhuman manner. The testing of products on animals is often painful and has long-term consequences such as diseases, blinding, and trauma. Many countries, such as those in the European Union, have banned all animal testing of cosmetic products. There are cheaper, more humane and more efficient alternatives to testing on animals. We request that the head of the FDA makes it illegal to test the safety of cosmetics and possibly medical products on animals.

While the FDA discourages companies from test on animals, there are no regulations preventing this. The European Union made animal testing of cosmetics illegal on September 11, 2004; then proceeded to make marketing cosmetics tested on animals illegal in 2009 (“Ban on Animal Testing,” European Commission, May 12, 2016). According to BBC, the European Union wants to ban animal testing completely as soon as it is scientifically possible (Laurence Peter, “EU rejects bid to ban animal testing in European labs,” BBC News, June 4, 2015). We believe that the United States should follow the European Union’s lead.

Testing in labs is harmful to the animals and it is also unnecessary because there are cheaper, more effective alternatives. Hundreds of companies in the United States continue to test on animals today (“List of Companies That do Test on Animals,” Veganrabbit.com, 2015).  Every year over 100 million animals are subjected to immense pain with no benefit to themselves or their kind (“Experiments on Animals: Overview,” Peta.org). There are many examples of these cruel conditions. One of these is the story of Libby, a dog who was rescued from Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc. This company, “kicked, threw, and dragged dogs; lifted puppies by their throats; and screamed obscenities at animals.” They were paid to force feed the animals toxic drugs and purposefully give them parasites (PETA, “Life After the Laboratory: Libby’s Story,” PETA.org, July 8, 2011). Another example is that of the Silver Spring Monkeys: “[they] were subjected to debilitating surgeries in which their spinal nerves were severed, rendering one or more of their limbs useless. Through the use of electric shock, food deprivation, and other methods, the monkeys were forced to try to regain the use of their impaired limbs or go without food” (“The Silver Spring Monkeys: The Case That Launched PETA,” PETA.org).

There is an alternative though. Non-animal testing costs less, is quicker, and is humane. Many different types of testing have been developed, such as In Vitro testing, computer (In Silico) modeling, voluntary human testing, and Human-Patient Simulators. In Vitro testing involves the use of human cells that are put on a slide in a way that allows them to act similarly to organs in the human body. Using these slides, scientists are able to examine the reaction of the cells to see whether or not they are being harmed. In Silico testing uses a computer model of the human body to replicate how the body will react. Finally Human-Patient Simulators look, feel, breathe, bleed, and in generally react just like a human (“Alternatives to Animal Testing,” PETA.org). All of these methods are better approximations of how the human body will react because they use human cells or human models instead of relying on different species reactions. They are cheaper for a number of reasons; they are often reusable which eliminates the need to continuously buy new test subjects.

Many companies have proven that alternative forms of testing can lead to successful products, which are competitive in their cost, efficacy, and marketing appeal. One company that has ceased testing on animals and has maintained its success is Bare Essentials (“FAQ’s,” Bareminerals.co.uk, 2016). Bare Essentials consists of many sub-companies including the popular brand, Bare Minerals, which has won over 20 awards for quality of their products (“Awards,” Bareminerals.co.uk, 2016). Other companies should follow Bare Essentials lead and use cheaper, humane, and more effective methods.

We believe that it is essential that the United States ends all animal testing because it is inhumane and ultimately inefficient.

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