Animal Testing

There are few practices that unnerve me in the way that the concept of testing on animals does. It's just so cruel and, in many cases, just plain obscene. I understand that some products and medicines have the possibility of being dangerous for human beings, and that many would rather have them tested on animals than on people, but never the less, the idea disturbs me greatly. Just seeing pictures of animals going through horrendous side effects of products that were never meant for them, sends shivers down my spine and causes a knot to develop in the pit of my stomach. If it were up to me, I'd implement a policy that says that if a product is potentially dangerous for humans, it should rather be scrapped than tested out on animals. I'm all for science, I always have been, and I always will be, but there are certain points where the line needs to be drawn, and cruelty towards living things is definitely one of those points. I understand that some may call me naïve for having these beliefs. I understand that many hold the position that it's better to test on animals than on people. I understand that as a society, no matter how much value we place on the life of animals, the value of human life is generally considered to be greater. I'm not arguing against that. What I am saying, is that, as a society, we should strive for scientific growth, but that growth shouldn't come at the expense of cruelty towards other living things. Animals feel pain, they feel anguish, and they feel the harmful effects of drugs, medicines, and other means by which some experiment on them, and it's because of this that I feel testing on animals is morally reprehensive.