20 Debate Speech Topics on Animal Experimentation

In the previous guide we explored animal experimentation and revealed some very disturbing facts. Study our 10 facts on animal experimentation for a debate speech in detail to find out various arguments regarding the disgraced research community.

Sadly, after the completion of these experimentations, the animals used are euthanized. Majority of these small test subjects are purpose-bred. Due to the ever growing existence of organizations such as PETA and BUAV, the medical community is under heavy pressure to find alternatives to animal experimentation such as sophisticated computer models.
To help you narrow down your debate area, here are 20 topics which you can select from.

1. Number of Animals Used for Experimentation
2. Trends and Public Opinion Towards Animal Rights
3. History of Vaccines Developed Through Animal Experimentation
4. Failure of Mouse Diabetes Model
5. Differences Between Human and Animal Immunology
6. Inconclusive Research of Spinal Cord Injury Recovery from Animal Experimentation
7. Failure of Research Gained from Animal Experimentation in Neurological Diseases
8. Suffering of Animals During Medical Procedures
9. Psychological Effects On Animals Due to Confinement
10. Health and Sanitary Condition of Laboratories of Animal Experimentation
11. Types of Traumatic Injuries Inflicted During Animal Experimentation
12. Military Animal Experiments
13. What Methods Are Implemented on Animals During Induced Helplessness Tests?
14. Planting Electrodes into Eyes and Brains of Animals
15. Case of Self-Mutilation in Animals When Kept in Cages in Laboratories
16. Alternatives to Animal Experimentations
17. Failures of Animal Experimentation in Improving Human Health and Scientific Discovery
18. Epidemiology and Animal Experimentation: Which One Is More Successful?
19. Computer-Based Research Technique in Comparison with Animal Experimentation
20. Virtual Human Trials through Intrinsic Computer Models.

We have assisted you with our guide for a debate to help give you a little nudge in the right direction and then we went a step further by giving you direct topics. A large portion of the International community is now questioning the very legitimacy of animal experimentation, appealing to the cruel nature of these experiments, the condition in which the animals are kept and the amount of misleading and inconclusive animal models which have yet to serve the human medical needs. Primarily, the argument against this kind of experimentation is that the animals have the right not to be used and harmed.

As always, we aim to exceed your expectation. Here is a sample essay on one of the topics above.

Sample Debate Speech: Computer-based Research Technique in Comparison with Animal Experimentation

There is a growing number of consensus to reduce or eliminate animal experimentation, that’s why there is a huge school of thought researching to find alternatives. Major alternatives to animal experimentation are vitro cell culture techniques and computer simulation based research. There are some who believe these alternates are not conclusive because these simulations are using data acquired from prior experiments, meaning the data is too old and cells/serums are virtual.  There is another school of thought which believes that animal experimentation can never be replaced because the living system is too complicated to be simulated.

Computer simulations can not only replace animal experimentations but they can also help with reducing the cost and speed up the discovery time. While conducting drug tests, the candidate’s data can be utilized to help improve the virtual models. In 2010, the protein docking algorithm EADock helped find possible inhibitors to particular enzyme affiliated with cancer. Around fifty percent of these molecules were later confirmed to be positively active inhibitors, this discovery happened outside of a human body and in labs. This kind of approach is very different from the costly high-throughput screening robotics labs which and capable of testing huge quantities of complicated compounds in a single day.

There are several examples of computer simulations such as the model of asthma. The studies regarding medicines developed using that model needs to go through a lot of careful testing before they are approved to be used by humans and animals.

Full sized mannequins are also used for computer simulations to generate data of crashes. These tests are conducted with the use of real time sensors and cameras, ever since the advancement in this field, it has replaced live animal trauma testing in car crashes. The first such establishment began in 1949, known as Sierra Sam, built by Alderson Research Labs of Sierra Engineering. Through the years, the dummies and the monitoring equipment have significantly changed, before live pigs were used as test subjects in crash testing.

The military has been using simulators to recreate battlefield scenarios, especially traumas. Systems such as the TraumaMan and the Combat Trauma Patient Simulator have successfully given research analysis on fractures, amputations and hemorrhaging. Before this, animal were used to find out the results of various injuries, but now the success of TraumaMan has made it possible for the medical community to do this without the torture and execution of animals.

Human metabolism has also been successfully portrayed through computer models, this has resulted in the study of various plaque related cardiovascular risks. It has also helped the medical community to examine the toxicity of drugs, replacing the drug testing on animals altogether. Not only this, but in 2007, using the world’s most sophisticated computer of that time, a program simulated a mouse’s brain for around 10 seconds. Limitations in computing power of the time brought forth problems in simulation but the fact remains that such simulations are possible.

References:
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Horrobin DF. Modern biomedical research: an internally self consistent universe with little contact with medical reality? Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2003;2:151-154.
Ioannidis JPA. Evolution and translation of research findings: from bench to where? PLoS Clin Trials 2006;1:e36.
Langley G, Evans T, Holgate ST, Jones A. Replacing animal experiments: choices, chances, and challenges. BioEssays 2007;29:918-926.
Perel P, Roberts I, Sena E, et al. Comparison of treatment effects between animal experiments and clinical trials: systematic review. BMJ 2006;334, 197 (doi:10.1136/bmj.39048.407928.BE).
Pound P, Ebrahim S, Sandercock P, Bracken MB, Roberts I. Where is the evidence that animal research benefits humans? BMJ 2004;328:514-517.
Watts G. Alternatives to animal experimentation. BMJ 2007;334:182-184.