What do Pringles, Macaroni and Cheese, and Hawaiian Punch have in common?

Besides the fact that they taste good, they all contribute to the worst forms of cruelty on this earth. Over 550 companies in the United States test their products humanely and compassionately. Yet companies like Procter and Gamble and Huntingdon Life Sciences, still insist on testing their products on cute mice, rabbits, dogs, and monkeys. Testing on animals is not only inhumane, it is also immoral and archaic. You should not support the testing of any animal for your products.

Animal testing originated in the 1400’s, alternatives were never created, and human life depended on these tests so that people were not taking toxic medicines. Today, in the year 2004, alternatives to these tests are available, and over 500 companies are using them. Why then are some companies still not using these humane tests? The reason is that these tests are not cost effective. In corporate America, money is the bottom line. Changing the way companies have been doing research since the beginning is not usually appealing to those who make profits off of the way the tests are being run.

Thousands of people around the world are complaining about the animal tests that Procter and Gamble have been conducting for hundreds of products. Procter and Gamble makes a great effort to appeal to families as a family company. Yet in any advertisement that the Procter and Gamble puts out, you will never see the story behind the company. You never hear of the horror stories of the animals locked in restraints with Clorox bleach being dripped into their eyes, and you will never see the pictures of the thousands of animals which die each year in their testing facilities.

Common testing techniques for laboratories are the Draized Eye Test, where a rabbit’s head is placed in a constraint while a liquid is dropped into the eye. Scientists then record the reaction with the eye. If the eye swells, the scientists know that there is some chemical that will react with skin tissue, and it may be considered dangerous to human touch. If the eye becomes red, the assumption is that something in the product irritates the skin. And if nothing happens, then the scientist can pass the product to the Food and Drug Administration saying that there are no worries about this product.

People justify the killing of these animals by saying that “animal research is vital for assessing the impacts of contaminants on the environment and human health” (Breen 38). What these people forget to mention is that the make-up of a rodent and the make-up of a human is entirely different. Humans are more complex, respond to situations and substances differently, as well as have different DNA and genetic compositions. In many research projects, products have been sold to the general public, and then recalled for side effects which did not show up in the animal tests. Yet, in all tests which were conducted without animals, not one product has ever been recalled.

Animal experimentation may have been acceptable in the 1800’s, but today in the computer and technological age, these tests are no longer acceptable, and more people are seeing that day to day. As boycotts of these animal murdering companies continue, hopefully soon companies like Procter and Gamble will realize that they aren’t just hurting their image, they are hurting the one thing they care about, their pocket book. I urge you to take a stand against animal testing. Until these companies stop, remember that Procter and Gamble is a company which stands for Pain and Greed.

Bibliography
Breen, Bill “Why We Need Animal Testing,” Garbage, April/May 1993, pp.38-45.

--Ryan Courtade founded the organization Love All Animals. He has a regular advice column called Ask Ryan about animal rights issues. Send feedback about this article

There is a new site which may be of interest to you and others who are animal rights activists. This site is about Proctor and Gamble, a gigantic manufacturer of mainstream household products that engages in unbelievably cruel, unnecessary animal testing. Please pass this on if you can!
Peace, Liz