PerspectivesAre you interested in submitting a Perspective Article? Be sure to read The Science Advisory Board's Editorial Guides for Perspective Articles. Click here. Animal Right Extremists Threaten Medical Research by Joseph E. Murray, M.D. One of the greatest challenges faced by biomedical research lies beyond laboratory doors. Even as tremendous achievements in medicine are made, and as far more are promised in the post-genomic era, an increasingly powerful and politically sophisticated animal rights movement threatens to stop scientists from using laboratory animals in their quest to end suffering and disease. This should be of tremendous concern to physicians. The assault by animal rights activists on the pipeline of biomedical research and discovery delays new treatments and cures and limits our ability to provide optimum care for our patients. The use of animal models is an important component of basic research, pharmaceutical R&D, behavioral studies and the development of surgical techniques and appliances. Contrary to popular belief, over 90 percent of laboratory animals are rodents. Together, dogs, cats and primates account for only about one percent of animals used in research. A tightly woven tapestry of federal regulations, guidelines and professional standards govern the humane care and use of all animals in research labs. Nevertheless, vocal and active animal rights supporters reject any use of animals, including in biomedical research. The movement's leaders are not advocates of animal welfare, but rather of an extreme belief system that places equal moral value on animal and human life. Their cry is not for clean laboratory cages but for empty cages. If we had listened to their arguments 50 years ago, children still would be contracting polio. Diabetics would not have insulin. We would also be without antibiotics for pneumonia, chemotherapy for cancer, and surgery for heart disease, organ transplants and joint replacements. If they prevail today, many promising new frontiers of research would be closed. Animal rights activists know that scientists' use of animals is dependent on public understanding and support. Armed with a lexicon of emotional rhetoric and a war chest worth millions of dollars, animal rights organizations are working on several fronts to undermine research. They use the news media to make false charges against research projects. Schools are flooded with slick pseudo-science curriculum materials aimed at turning children against scientific inquiry. Dozens of voluntary health agencies, including the March of Dimes, American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society, are the focus of boycott campaigns because they fund research projects in which laboratory animals are used. The activists' anti-research campaign is also carried out through legislative maneuverings, bureaucratic demands and frivolous litigation designed to hobble biomedical research with red tape and restrictions that have little to do with responsible and humane animal care. The effectiveness of many of the national animal rights groups has resulted in their claims about biomedical research reaching policy makers, opinion leaders and the public. Activists charge that animal-based research is unwatched, unregulated and haphazard, with poorly designed research protocols; that researchers are insensitive to animal distress and do not take steps to minimize it; and that results of animal studies are irrelevant to understanding human physiology. Nothing could be further from the truth, but the activists' claims threaten a gradual yet serious erosion of public support for our nation's scientists and their work. Some animal rights activists have even turned to tactics of intimidation and violence -- arson, vandalism, threats, burglary, and physical harassment -- in order to achieve their goals. The FBI has cited such attacks on research as examples of domestic terrorism. What effect have these attacks had on biomedical research? Laboratory administrators are being forced to divert precious funds away from research to increase security measures. Veteran scientists fear for their safety while gifted young researchers are choosing to abandon the field altogether. Life-saving discoveries are being delayed as people continue to suffer and die. As physicians, we can play an important role in countering the animal rights campaign, and in bolstering our patients' understanding and support of scientists' necessary and humane use of animals in biomedical research. The timing could not be better for us to state our case. The miracle of modern medicine is evident everywhere, and it's a hot topic with our patients. Open up any newspaper. Look at the featured selections on the shelves of your local bookstore. Visit the popular health websites on the Internet. The results of groundbreaking studies are picked up by the local newspapers and extolled by science reporters on nightly newscasts. And that news has just begun to flow: ongoing genetic research will reveal the sources and biochemical pathways of disease, leading the way to safer, precise and more powerful treatments. In 2001, only 6% of Americans surveyed told Research!America that they have concerns about the use of animals in health and medical research. But how firm is the support from the remaining 94% respondents? How vulnerable are those people to the proliferation of emotive appeals put forth by animal rights activists? There is much work ahead if they are to fully understand and appreciate the necessity of animal research in medicine. The linkages between scientists' work with animals and recent medical advances must be firmly established in the public's mind. Polling has shown that once people hear the case for the use of animals in biomedical research -- once they understand the necessity, benefits and humane nature of the studies -- they solidly favor research. Our task is to insure that Americans have the opportunity to learn that animal studies are a key component of research designed to improve the length and quality of their lives and the lives of their loved ones. There are several steps that physicians can take in support of research:
### Dr. Murray, Professor Emeritus at Harvard Medical School, was awarded the 1990 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research concerning organ and cell transplantation. He serves on the Board of Directors of Americans for Medical Progress, a national non-profit organization dedicated to informing the public of the necessity, benefits and humane nature of biomedical research with laboratory animals. Reprinted by permission: Missouri Medicine-The Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association. The following organizations host web sites offering abundant information about the use of animals in biomedical research. Most feature links to additional organizations, materials, documents and other resources available on the Internet or via mail.
### << Previous Next >> [ View All Perspectives ] |
|