Most animal testing during the last decade is relatively humane. There are very few procedures that actually cause pain, and painkillers are occasionally used as well as quick euthanasia before initial pain occurs.

The advances in the medical field have been huge because of animals. It's an important part of the sciences.

Animals deserve the right to have welfare, but not to have rights. In order to have rights they need to be able to speak for themselves and be considered sentient beings (which people are actually trying to get dolphins into the category of and give them rights to an extent). Animals are not on an equal platform as us because of the gap in our knowledge and intelligence, but that does not mean they do not deserve respect and a pain-free life if at all possible.

That's just my opinion. :]