I understand where groups such as PETA believe testing animals for research is unethical since there are some cases where the animal may suffer. I do believe though it is more unethical to do research testing on humans first. As zha7 mentioned above, right now we do not have an alternative. In the near future, an alternative method may be using computer models.

I think animal testing should be limited to educational research that is geared towards improving human health such as for cures and treatments. I do not think animals should be used for testing for superficial reasons such a makeup. Another thing to consider is as we continue to produce advanced technology, people become more curious and want to research beyond what we need. If that is the case, allowing the researcher to use animals should be determined by the level of suffering the animal will experience.