Question

Read the sample student claim and the reasons listed for making this claim. Claim: Although many people argue that medical testing on animals is a violation of animal rights, the benefits it yields for society far outweigh any argument that can be made. Reason #1: Animal research has yielded both pain-relieving and life-saving drugs for humans. Reason #2: Laws prohibit scientists from using animal-based research in cases where non-animal testing would produce equally clear and valid results. Which piece of evidence would best support reason #2? *Animal research is extremely costly, so it is in the best financial interest of scientists to pursue other means of testing before deciding to utilize animals in their research. *With just 115 inspectors and over 7,500 facilities involved with the research, breeding, or handling of animals in some way, regulation of the Animal Welfare Act is virtually impossible. *Enacted in 1966, the Animal Welfare Act is a US federal law that regulates the care and use of animals in a variety of circumstances, including medical research and testing. *People will not tolerate the suffering of animals, so it is only logical that scientists will only use animal testing as a last resort when all other measures have failed."

Answer 1

The best piece of evidence to support Reason #2, which states that laws prohibit scientists from using animal-based research in cases where non-animal testing would produce equally clear and valid results, is the following statement : "With just 115 inspectors and over 7,500 facilities involved with the research, breeding, or handling of animals in some way, regulation of the Animal Welfare Act is virtually impossible."

This statement highlights a significant challenge in enforcing the Animal Welfare Act. The limited number of inspectors compared to the vast number of facilities makes it difficult to ensure strict adherence to the regulations.

The implication here is that there may be instances where non-animal testing alternatives could be used, but due to the challenges in regulating such a large number of facilities, they might resort to animal-based research when it may not be strictly necessary.

This evidence supports the idea that scientists might turn to animal testing when they face difficulties in implementing non-animal testing methods, even if those alternatives could provide equally valid results.

It underscores the need for stronger regulation and oversight to ensure that non-animal testing methods are rigorously explored and adopted whenever possible, aligning with the claim that animal testing should be a last resort when all other measures have failed.