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On face value, it is easy to see why advocates of animal testing support it, there are clearly some benefits that come from it: vaccines, drugs, and a host of discoveries that have helped, and continue to help, millions of people worldwide. According to various reports, more than 160 human drugs and vaccines have directly resulted from animal testing, together with 111 veterinary ones. That's right, these discoveries have helped other animals as well.

When you consider the advancement in treatments such as heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and so on, it is hard to fathom, at least at first, why anyone would take a stance against animal testing. Does anyone even know what Polio is these days? Mention 'polio' seventy years ago and all hell would have broken loose. Apparently we can thank animal research for curing it.

Sure most reasonable people would agree the argument against animal testing for the sake of beauty products (such as lipstick and makeup)is a thin one, but would the same argument hold up in connection with a potential cure to cancer? Presently, the answer to this is no, evidenced in part by the multi-billion dollar size of the industry. Testing all manner of things on animals is worth a lot of money, and it is here that the strongest advocates reside those who have a share of the pie.

But, for the moment, let's forget money it has no place in a discussion of morality. Instead, we should focus on the key points of the pro argument: firstly, that testing delivers us great benefits, such as drugs, vaccines, and other discoveries, and secondly, that the industry is highly regulated to ensure animals don't suffer. We are also told that animals used in research don't suffer any more than animals outside the lab, with only a few exceptions here and there. Apparently these 'exceptions' are what animal liberationists focus on, and never the big picture.

So heres the big picture, and both sides of the debate admit it - animals are tested on so that we don't have to experiment on humans. Animals are tested on because they are like us - this is the fundamental argument as to why we actually use animals for testing. But there is an obvious question that even a primary school child asks at this point: Why don't we experiment on humans if the animals don't experience any form of suffering? The answer is pretty simple: as a people, we would not be able to stomach these experiments if it were done on humans.

Image this scenario. You are a human. In the US, 115 million

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