Who ever reads the label on the things they buy anymore? Most American don’t ever think to read the label before they make a purchase of something. But there is something very valuable that could save millions of animals if people would just quickly check the label. If you see, “Tested on Animals” then stay away but if you see, “Not Tested on Animals” then that’s a product you should buy. Millions of animals are tested on every year just for the slight benefit of humans which is not necessary. There are many reasons why animal testing should not be allowed anymore.

Animals and people are alike in many ways. Both animals and humans feel, think, behave, and experience pain. Then, doesn’t that mean animals should be treated with the same respect as humans? But when they are used in research and testing, the rights of animals are abused because they don’t have a say. For an animal, there is no way to say no to being tested. Animals have to undergo excruciating experiments that can cause permanent harm or death, and the choice to not participate in the experiment is never offered. Animals do not voluntarily risk themselves for the development of modern technologies and human welfare. Their decisions are made for them because they cannot vocalize their own preferences and choices.

The tests trigger extreme pain and are often fatal. The Draize test, which is notorious for the extreme pain and suffering it inflicts on laboratory animals, is a widely used toxicity test. The material or product being examined in the Draize test is inserted in the eyes of an animal and then the animal is checked in and around the eye for damage to the cornea and other tissues. This examination causes blindness, scarring, and death and is extremely painful for the animal.

Another very common test is the LD50 test which is used to test the dosage of a substance that is necessary to cause death in fifty percent of the animal subjects within a certain amount of time. To perform this test, the researchers hook the animals up to tubes that pump huge amounts of the test product into their stomachs until they die. This test is extremely painful to the animals because death can take days or even weeks. According to Orlans, the animals suffer from “vomiting, diarrhea, paralysis, convulsion, and internal bleeding.”

It is absolutely unnecessary to test products on animals when suitable alternatives are available. For example, many cosmetic companies have looked for better ways to test their products without using animal subjects. A well-known cosmetics and bath-product company based in London has developed products that “use natural ingredients, like bananas and Basil nut oil, as well as others with a long history of safe human usage” instead of testing on animals. Another method, in vitro testing, cellular tests are done inside a test tube. All of these studies have proved to be effective and accurate alternatives to live animal testing of goods. Therefore, because without the use of live animal specimens, reliable methods of product toxicity testing are available, testing of potentially deadly substances on animals is unnecessary.