Is it fair to experiment on mice, even though they can feel the same pain and emotions as we do?

  • The mice used are born for it

    The mice that are used in the laboratory tests are born specifically to be used in the tests. Scientists do not go out and capture mice to be used from the wild: in my opinion that would be unethical. Because the mice used in the experiments are bred and therefore only exist because they are needed for an experiment, it is fair that they are to be used.
    Humans are above mice on the food chain, therefore we can do what we like with them within reason. I disagree with the experimenting of cosmetic products on animals, but I have no objection if it can save human lives or liberate people from disability.
    If the scientists developing a product were to have made a mistake, would it really be better to let a human deal with the consequences, rather than a lowly mouse which only lives for a few years anyway?

    Posted by: Muz
  • Much better than the other option.

    Seriously, some of you act like these are humans. Most of the mice and other animals used in testing are laboratory raised for the sole purpose of experimenting. Had they been raised in the wild, most of them would probably have died at a much younger age by predators.
    Clearly, mankind has benefited from the use of animals. Without the use of them, many treatments and cures would not be available. Many of you who preach about animal cruelty might not even be alive today had it not been for animal testing.
    The only alternative to animal testing is to move right to human testing instead like they did in Nazi Germany. Sure, those people where forced to participate but even if they had volunteered it would still be inhumane to put human lives at such a high risk if the risk could be lessened severely by animal testing.
    To me, it does not matter if it is the next big cure or just to test the latest make-up, it is far better to risk the life of an animal than to risk the life of a human.
    I suppose that if every animal rights person volunteered to take the place of an animal, it would make things better for the animals but sooner or later we would end up with a shortage and with no animal rights people left we would be able to go right back to animal testing. Obviously that is a joke because I don't think humans, even animal rights treehuggers should suffer so that an animal doesn't.

  • They are lab mice

    I do not believe it is fair to experiment on domestic mice, but these lab mice are inbred multiple times, and it does not make a big difference for them. Anyway, what would we test things on otherwise? Would you want to test on humans, and have them die? Humans should not have to sacrifice themselves

  • Better then people.

    Having Mice die is much better then having Humans die, no denying that. So lets keep the safety of our products and medicines, and us over lab mice.

    The death of a mouse is not nowhere as severe as a person, since we are human we should all have that view. Animal testing lets us make sure our products and medicines are safe.

  • Unfortunately, yes, it is.

    If we wish to continue producing the amazing scientific medicines that we currently are, experimenting on animals is necessary. It certainly is a cruel thing to do, but it allows scientists to get an idea of what effect procedures and medicines will have on humans. If we were to abandon this practice, we would likely begin experimenting on humans for money, which would mean the poorest in our society would be vulnerable to being taken advantage of. I'd rather continue our progress with medical science through the use of animals than I would through the use of humans for testing, or halting progress totally.

  • Better than Humans

    Testing on mice is important for developing new medicines to help humanity. They are not human, they do not think rationally. Besides, the food industry treats animals just as bad if not worse. I'd like to see if any of the opposition are vegans, as that would be the logical stance from their viewpoint.


    Saying that we are above them on the food chain is crazy. In a natural ecosystem, we would be keeping the populations down, but this is just humans taking advantage. Mice are living creatures and they deserve to be treated like so. Humans are just being big bullies to creatures that can't defend themselves.

  • "Morally right" is only as right as we make it!

    Imagine a world where your child is terribly ill with a serve condition (pick one) there is no cure for. Would you be willing to sacrifice your child for the good of humanity and allow your child to be experimented on to find a cure and save millions? The chances are you wouldn't. That is the reason for which animals are so necessary in the process of finding cures and medications to treat human conditions that would otherwise kill us or take ten times as long to find a cure for.
    Is it right? Maybe it is, or maybe it isn't, but think about how far you go to save a loved one.
    Humans are extremely opinionated when it comes to right or wrong, especially when it is matters that do not affect us directly, but when it comes to our loved ones or matters that affect us directly, then we become selfish and the story changes.

  • We are Humans, Concepts of Morality and Hence Fairness are Relative (but necessary), We Should Craft these concepts According to Our Species' Needs

    At the end of the day we live with and interact with other humans. We may interact with animals to some extent but we stand with our fellow humans.

    Treating animals well because doing so cultivates character traits that are good for oneself and others is all well and good. However, in the case of mice needed for experimental purposes the good to humanity outweighs the bad. We need to experiment on mice to learn new cures for diseases. In fact there is not nearly enough medical research. Medical research should be doubled or even tripled. There are many terrible things that continue to happen to people.

    Maybe someday we can figure out how to turn pain and emotions off in mice. Although some experiments may require those faculties to stay on, but at least we could minimize pain and suffering in laboratory animals.

    But I do think we should stop experimenting on animals for the sake of making better makeup.

  • It is not fair, as we are the ones benefiting.

    Firstly, I disagree with what is implied in the title, which is that mice feel the same pain and emotions as us humans. Obviously mice do feel pain (to the same extent as humans), but emotions? Having owned mice previously, I can say without doubt that mice do have emotions and are in fact quite emotional beings. But I don't believe that they have the same emotional capability as humans.

    It is not fair to experiment on mice. They are beings as we are with the capability of feeling pain. Experimenting on them is not fair, since we as humans are the ones benefiting from the research, not them. If a species with higher intelligence than us began human experiments, we would consider it a great injustice.

    Having said this, what are the alternatives? No more medical progression? Human experimentation? The latter is arguably the only fair way of doing it. If humans want benefits science provides then we should be the test subjects. However this introduces a whole new range of issues, including unwilling or deceptive experimentation on people (which already takes place in some countries by large companies).

    So no I don't believe that it's fair to experiment on mice (or other animals), but what's the alternative?

    Also, I am assuming this is referring only to medical experimentation on animals. I believe that ANY cosmetic experimentation on animals is completely unjustified and wrong.

  • No animal experimentation is wrong

    Have any of you seen the dr. Who episode where the doctors were raising people in labs and herding them just so they could have all of these cures? I do not think that animal testing is moral at all. But no, animals do not feel the same emotions we do. Animals can feel emotions and pain but not "as we do" it's different but despite it being a different pain or not the same emotional extent we have, doesn't mean it's any less wrong. The anecdotal approach has proved they have select emotions such as pessimism and optimism and happy as well as sad in many animals like pigs, cats, dogs and even mice/rats.

  • No it isn't fair

    Their ability to feel pain is just as important as ours and we don;t have the right to do this to them. Now we have progressed to the understanding about what we are doing to these creatures, It isn't right and it isn't fair that we put their suffering as sacrifice for our convenience.

  • Of course not

    Why would you not want it done to you, but its okay to be done to another? For example, most people will claim it is just a mouse so it is no big deal. What if some demon is experimenting on you, and what they are thinking is "It's just a human."

    It just isn't fair.

  • Mice can suffer

    Specieism exists and we are benifitting off the suffering of innocent animals.Is it moral to do that? No! Of course not! If we live for ourselves and punish animals for it, we are selfish creatures that don't care about the well being of other animals. Would you like to be the mice that is tested? Didn't think so. Animals do not require the permission to live from humans. They were given the right way before we were here.

  • Why do we get advantage?

    We are bigger, stronger and much more powerful than mice. It is unfair to mice that we use them to conduct experiments. Would you like to have your mother to go to a lab and be hurt? Scientist make the test, so they should test it on them self instead, if they know that it will kill them than trash the idea. If they do test it and it does work well done. If they test it one them self they could sell the product faster. There is no need to use mice for it.

  • Mice are just like people

    A mouse experiences pain in the same way as humans. Even though a mouse doesn't have the mental ability to understand what it is going through, they still experience the same chemical reactions in their brain that cause pain. What really differentiates humans from animals? What could make it morally justifiable to do this to a mouse but not a person. That being said, I think animal experimentation should be allowed when it is necessary. However, all steps should be taken to reduce pain as much as possible.



  • Apparently mice can compress the all of the complex emotions of or gigantic brans inside their tiny skulls

    Mice do not experience the same emotions that we do. Actually no one experiences the exact same emotions. Mice have no capability of reflecting on their emotions. That being said we are capable of reflecting on our emotions and actions and should endeavor to treat all animals with kindness as we have the capability. Many forms of testing are completely harmless to the mice and those are fine but to harm an animal to test a makeup is cruel and unnecessary. I do believe that it s acceptable to do potentially harmful experiments to save human lives but this shouldn't be taken lightly.

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