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Julia Secrist

Professor Barnes

English 1201

4/10/2019

Research Proposal

For my research paper I decided to do the topic of animal testing. I want to know

how the scientific world is really affected by animal testing and what the pros and cons

of animal testing really are. I started to get really interested in this topic when I talked to

my high school Physiology teacher. He, being a man of science, was all for animal

testing and tried to explain to me why it was so important. This got my interest peaked,

and I wanted to learn more about how it actually helps people. I was also then curious

about the down side of it, besides the ethical animal rights aspect of it, I wanted to know

why it seemed so frowned upon. This topic is also very important to me because I have

a grandmother who has Alzheimer’s disease. It is a degenerative cognitive disease that

slowly removes higher brain functions, and simple things like being able to feed yourself

are lost. Also in my grandmother’s case, all of her memories are gone, so she doesn't

even know who my mother is, which is her daughter. Animal testing plays a major role

in this because it is at the forefront of Alzheimer’s research. I want to know how animal

research is helping solve the mystery of the disease.

I feel very strongly about this topic. I think it is a very controversial topic that a lot

of people struggle with deciding where they stand. There is a logical side to this which is
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where the benefiting science comes in, but there is also a moral and ethical aspect that

concerns people about animal testing. I think that animal testing helps improve science

and makes our world a better place. On the other hand I think it is morally wrong to put

our lives above the lives of animals. I believe that we need animal testing to survive and

thrive as a society. I also believe that animal testing can be handled better and there

could be better laws and regulations to protect animals more thoroughly. I know that it is

a very touchy topic, but also an important one. I also know that there are a lot of people

against animal testing, but not a lot being done to stop it. Lastly, I know that the world is

better because of the advancements caused by animal testing.

There is still a lot I need to learn about animal testing. I need to know how it

actually affects our lives. I want to know how we have all benefited from it, but also how

we can improve it to be more animal friendly. I am hoping to learn the impact that

animal testing has and could have in the future. I also am hoping to learn how it can be

improved. I think I will start by talking to my teacher some more, and then dive into lab

reports and other articles about animal testing. One question I have is, is animal testing

worth it? By this I mean, is harming animals and spending billions of dollars worth the

results that come from animal testing. Another question I have is, What would happen if

animal testing was completely banned? I would like to see the impact that animal testing

has on the world.