speech on- Testing cosmetics on animals is a cruel, outdated and unnecessary practice.
(1.30 mins).
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Answer:
Explanation:
We’re all familiar with the phrase “putting lipstick on a pig,” but some corporations are thoughtless enough to take it literally. Cosmetics companies have promoted animal testing for years. While some argue it offers insight into human endangerment, others say it’s an outdated, unnecessary and inhumane practice.
One such person is Congressman Jim Moran. Writing in Scientific American, Moran boldly explains:
“Eliminating animal testing of cosmetics is entirely feasible. In the past three decades, scientists have developed many advanced alternatives to animal testing – methods that use human blood, cell lines, artificial skin, or computer models to test the safety of products, and many multinational companies have embraced these alternative test methods, reducing and in some cases eliminating their dependence on animal testing. As a result, they cut costs and save time; animal testing is expensive, slow, and because animals are not people, not always predictive.”
Moran is correct: Animals are not people. We do not share the same bloodlines or body types or genetic patterns. So why has animal testing been running rampant all these years?
Technician holding a guinea pig. (Photo Credit: National Cancer Institute)Technician holding a guinea pig. (Photo Credit: National Cancer Institute)
The answer lies in 1938 when incidents surrounding untested products were brewing weekly. Over 12 women went blind using Lash Lure, a new mascara that burned and infected their skin. More than 100 people died after ingesting a new cough syrup containing diethylene glycol, a property considered toxic to the human body. Congress eventually passed the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, requiring every product to undergo testing prior to release.
Testing a product on animals, scientists claim, gives a general idea regarding its health effects prior to usage, but the problem is that humans and animals are not alike, and their reactions can never be truly indicative of ours. Still, old habits die hard, and several companies continue to invoke it as they did in the past.
Some businesses are seeking exit strategies from these cruel tactics, but the process is more complicated than one might think. Multinational corporations like Mary Kay, Avon and Estée Lauder invoke anti-cruelty policies for home-based operations, yet still choose to sell their items in markets (e.g. China) that require animal testing by law before they arrive in stores. As of November 2016, some of the companies that employ either full or limited non-animal testing regimes include Byron Bay Skincare, Cottage Oil and Eco Tan.
Rats, mice, guinea pigs and rabbits are the most common species used for testing cosmetics, though efforts sometimes extend to cats and dogs. Beagles, for example, are often subjected to toxicology experiments. Lindsay Rajt of PETA explains that “the people using animals in testing like beagles because they are small dogs; friendly and docile. They can be manipulated.” In rare cases, these animals are beaten, kicked and even have their vocal chords removed so their cries won’t “bother technicians.”