Science & Technology or Religion & Spirituality – which category should it be?  That is the question.
 
In reference to The Necessity of Animal Drug Testing  in the Science & Technology category by Dr Xion and the associated comments by Normalized Vector, it seems to me that you are both compassionate and rational, seeing the problem from slightly different angles while acknowledging one another’s perspective.
 
Development of medications to relieve human suffering is necessary.  Testing is essential.  Animals suffer.  To those of us that care, that is the dilemma.  Our creator, or chance if you prefer, tasks us with stewardship, not so much of the animals subject to our care or abuse, but of our humanity.
 
 “Despite the use of alternative methods, as many as 115 million animals die every year in American laboratories. The Animal Welfare Act does not regulate the use of mice and rats therefore the number of animals actually used is an estimate. While the majority of labs practice humane treatment and care for their animals there are others that do not. There is proof of animal abuse at laboratories."

Even when humane treatment is employed … "Many experiments involve procedures that are very painful to the animals and almost all experiments result in killing the animal because once used the animal is no longer a pure test subject. Despite the negative portion involved with testing substances on animals in the laboratory, the tests are an essential piece in deriving new medications and treatments.”
 
I don’t have the solution.  But for me, my humanity requires me to be compassionate for humanity and for the blessed animals that we share our journey with.   
 
The following letter, written to the editor of The Arizona Republic, concerns the inhumanity of factory processing of animals, and human beings.  But the issue is the same.
 
Letter to the Editor ______________________________
 
God gave us dominion over the animals

With all due respect for Jim Berlin, he completely misses the point in  “A mind is a terrible thing to pierce”.   PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is pointing out that we ignore the silent screams of millions of sentient beings only at our own peril.
 
The Nazis processed sentient beings from individuals into ashes in a very efficient factory production line style.  This was done while the world tried to ignore it.
 
If we can ignore the inhumanity of processing an animal’s life into meat in a factory production environment for the sake of efficiency, we can ignore the inhumanity of putting humans through the same horror.
 
Anyone that argues that animals don’t have feelings and do not think is either not paying attention or is callously ignoring the evidence.  The animals destined for our dinner tables should at least be given some semblance of a natural life while they are with us.   To do otherwise is shameful and dehumanizing to us!