Is it morally acceptable to experiment on non-human animals to develop products and medicines that benefit human beings?

I understand wanting to further human lives and find cures for cancer and so many other diseases in humans. If it was your child, how far would you go? I obviously have a bunny and they are still bred for meat in Ontario, Quebec...etc. I have written more e-mails that I can remember trying to change the policy of how they are slaughtered. Usually they were taken from their cages and strung up by their hind legs kicking and terrified before they were stunned. That policy has now changed and they are stunned in their cages first. A very small step but so less traumatic for these intelligent docile little animals. I think we need to realize that animals will always be used for food and experiments and we need to focus on how to insure that every animal is treated with respect and the most minimal pain. I hate it as much as everybody, but it won't change unless you really step up to the plate and send e-mails with your name and phone number to all your government officials. It works sometimes, I know.

I understand that many people view it as immoral and I also believe in animals should be treated as humanely as possible. But I also understand that for us to have the medical advances that we had requires us to test on animals. Break through we have for cancer medicine, AIDs cures, over the counter medicine...all these things would not have been possible without animal testing. Would you be willing to test completely new medications with no known side affects?

I don't know the correct answer to product testing but I just wanted to throw it out there that we've advanced in many sciences that have benefitted us through unfortunate animal testing.