America Needs to Abandon Animal Experimentation

Target:
Presidential Candidates:  Senator McCain & Senator Obama
Sponsored by: 
Vivisection:  The dissection of, or otherwise experimenting on, a living animal,  especially for the purpose of ascertaining or demonstrating some fact in physiology or pathology such as drug testing.  

The Truth about Animal Experimentation:  Every year, tens of millions of animals are dissected, infected, injected, gassed, burned and blinded in hidden laboratories on college campuses and research facilities throughout the U.S. Still more animals are used to test the safety of cosmetics, household cleansers and other consumer products. These innocent primates, dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents and other animals are used against their will as research subjects in experiments and procedures that would be considered sadistically cruel were they not conducted in the name of science.

Vivisection is Unnecessary:  The dangers, as well as the invalidity, of animal experimentation is widely recognized by medical researchers:

In 2006, Health & Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt observed that %u201Ccurrently, nine out of ten experimental drugs fail in clinical studies because we cannot accurately predict how they will behave in people based on laboratory and animal studies.%u201D  

As Yale University's Dr. David Katz writes, "Extrapolation from rodent research to outcomes in people is notoriously uncertain and fraught with danger. Basic science studies and animal experiments have resulted over the years in headlines about cures for cancer, a definitive obesity gene and effective AIDS vaccines, to name a few. None of these has yet to materialize, and early hyperbole in each case gave way to disappointment."

Proposed Effective, Humane Alternatives:

Scientific and technological advances are far more effective than experimenting on other species to gauge potential reactions in humans.

Pharmagene Laboratories in Royston, England, has rejected all animal studies because they are unnecessary and outdated. The pharmaceutical company uses sophisticated computer technologies that show the effects of chemicals on the human body. Says Pharmagene cofounder Gordon Baxter, "If you have information on human genes, what's the point of going back to animals?"

Physiome Sciences in New Jersey has developed software programs that simulate the human body's organs and processes. Its computer model of the heart is so advanced that it can be used to predict the heart's reaction to pharmaceutical compounds, eliminating the use of animals.

TOPKAT is a software package that allows researchers to predict the oral toxicity and the degree of skin and eye irritation of chemicals. It is faster, cheaper, and more accurate than animal tests and is now used by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Army.

Molecular assay systems (test-tube tests) can show how human and animal bacterial cells react when exposed to various compounds. These speed up the testing process and enable scientists to tests thousands of substances at the same time%u2013something that is impossible with animal studies.

The Irritation Assay System has spared millions of animals from blinding eye- and skin-irritation tests. This simple test-tube procedure is used by many personal-care product manufacturers.

Scientists can now "grow" artificial human skin for skin grafts and for skin-irritation testing.

The National Cancer Registry and other disease-reporting mechanisms reveal exactly what is happening to people under all kinds of conditions and tell us more about human disease than animal studies ever will.

DNA studies are unlocking the doors to human illness and birth defects. These studies show us that trying to learn about the human body by experimenting on animals is like trying to drive from Boston to San Francisco using a map of France.

Animal Experimentation at the Educational Level:

Educators recognize the necessity for humane alternatives.

Nancy Harrison, MD; Pathologist-San Diego, CA:  "Computerized dissection alternatives have grown so sophisticated they now surpass traditional wet dissections in many ways. Numerous studies published in the literature of the education profession demonstrate same or better academic performance by students who study alternatives. Given that animal dissection is ethically objectionable to many students, it's only reasonable to allow students free access to alternatives. No student should be forced to participate in the academically inferior teaching mode of animal dissection. Serious pre-meds and pre-vets can best master the dissection by repeatedly studying the superb images found on CD-ROMs."


There are currently nine states with laws that allow students to object to dissection and use an alternative. These states are California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia. Additionally, there are two states with resolutions and educational policies: Maine, and Louisiana. Maryland has a mandate that students and teachers are provided information on alternatives to dissection.


An Obvious Conclusion:  

The international community is becoming increasingly intolerant of unnecessary animal exploitation.

For example, beginning in March 2009, the European Union will ban cosmetics and toiletries tested on animals.  Further, the European Union will ban the import of animal-tested cosmetics and toiletries from other countries, including the United States.  This is a huge step toward abolishing obsolete animal research in favor of biochips, which mimic human physiology; other species do not.

The United States needs to take a pro-active position in promoting compassion and protecting, rather than exploiting, the most vulnerable among us.
Vivisection:  The dissection of, or otherwise experimenting on, a living animal,  especially for the purpose of ascertaining or demonstrating some fact in physiology or pathology such as drug testing.  

The Truth about Animal Experimentation:  Every year, tens of millions of animals are dissected, infected, injected, gassed, burned and blinded in hidden laboratories on college campuses and research facilities throughout the U.S. Still more animals are used to test the safety of cosmetics, household cleansers and other consumer products. These innocent primates, dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents and other animals are used against their will as research subjects in experiments and procedures that would be considered sadistically cruel were they not conducted in the name of science.

Vivisection is Unnecessary:  The dangers, as well as the invalidity, of animal experimentation is widely recognized by medical researchers:

In 2006, Health & Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt observed that %u201Ccurrently, nine out of ten experimental drugs fail in clinical studies because we cannot accurately predict how they will behave in people based on laboratory and animal studies.%u201D  

As Yale University's Dr. David Katz writes, "Extrapolation from rodent research to outcomes in people is notoriously uncertain and fraught with danger. Basic science studies and animal experiments have resulted over the years in headlines about cures for cancer, a definitive obesity gene and effective AIDS vaccines, to name a few. None of these has yet to materialize, and early hyperbole in each case gave way to disappointment."

Proposed Effective, Humane Alternatives:

Scientific and technological advances are far more effective than experimenting on other species to gauge potential reactions in humans.

Pharmagene Laboratories in Royston, England, has rejected all animal studies because they are unnecessary and outdated. The pharmaceutical company uses sophisticated computer technologies that show the effects of chemicals on the human body. Says Pharmagene cofounder Gordon Baxter, "If you have information on human genes, what's the point of going back to animals?"

Physiome Sciences in New Jersey has developed software programs that simulate the human body's organs and processes. Its computer model of the heart is so advanced that it can be used to predict the heart's reaction to pharmaceutical compounds, eliminating the use of animals.

TOPKAT is a software package that allows researchers to predict the oral toxicity and the degree of skin and eye irritation of chemicals. It is faster, cheaper, and more accurate than animal tests and is now used by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Army.

Molecular assay systems (test-tube tests) can show how human and animal bacterial cells react when exposed to various compounds. These speed up the testing process and enable scientists to tests thousands of substances at the same time%u2013something that is impossible with animal studies.

The Irritation Assay System has spared millions of animals from blinding eye- and skin-irritation tests. This simple test-tube procedure is used by many personal-care product manufacturers.

Scientists can now "grow" artificial human skin for skin grafts and for skin-irritation testing.

The National Cancer Registry and other disease-reporting mechanisms reveal exactly what is happening to people under all kinds of conditions and tell us more about human disease than animal studies ever will.

DNA studies are unlocking the doors to human illness and birth defects. These studies show us that trying to learn about the human body by experimenting on animals is like trying to drive from Boston to San Francisco using a map of France.

Animal Experimentation at the Educational Level:

Educators recognize the necessity for humane alternatives.

Nancy Harrison, MD; Pathologist-San Diego, CA:  "Computerized dissection alternatives have grown so sophisticated they now surpass traditional wet dissections in many ways. Numerous studies published in the literature of the education profession demonstrate same or better academic performance by students who study alternatives. Given that animal dissection is ethically objectionable to many students, it's only reasonable to allow students free access to alternatives. No student should be forced to participate in the academically inferior teaching mode of animal dissection. Serious pre-meds and pre-vets can best master the dissection by repeatedly studying the superb images found on CD-ROMs."


There are currently nine states with laws that allow students to object to dissection and use an alternative. These states are California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia. Additionally, there are two states with resolutions and educational policies: Maine, and Louisiana. Maryland has a mandate that students and teachers are provided information on alternatives to dissection.


An Obvious Conclusion:  

The international community is becoming increasingly intolerant of unnecessary animal exploitation.

For example, beginning in March 2009, the European Union will ban cosmetics and toiletries tested on animals.  Further, the European Union will ban the import of animal-tested cosmetics and toiletries from other countries, including the United States.  This is a huge step toward abolishing obsolete animal research in favor of biochips, which mimic human physiology; other species do not.

The United States needs to take a pro-active position in promoting compassion and protecting, rather than exploiting, the most vulnerable among us.

In this election year, we the undersigned appeal to our elected officials  to consider this proposal to abandon animal experimentation in favor of more humane and effective alternatives.  Just as our international neighbors are becoming intolerant of animal abuse, the United States must take a proactive position in promoting compassion, both to maintain economic viability and demonstrate American integrity.

Thank you for your attention to this issue.
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We signed the "America Needs to Abandon Animal Experimentation" petition!
# 1,298:
10:45 am PDT, Oct 23, Debbie Portugal, Arizona
I have pet rats, and they are smarter than a lot of people. They know words, care for each other, are affectionate, and show advanced traits like dogs. How dare these people, who call themselves scientists, hurt animals to advance our species. How dare they toss aside the very core of what makes us civilized. Stop this now. Make it illegal to harm animals for profit. Make it illegal to be cruel to an animal. Stop this now. It is the DECENT and noble thing to do. You know if it were YOU behind those bars....the fear and dread would destroy you. Thank you, Debbie Portugal
# 1,297:
4:05 am PDT, Oct 22, Flaviano Marrama, Italy
# 1,296:
2:05 pm PDT, Oct 21, Heidi Ahlstrand-gallagher, Minnesota
# 1,295:
4:32 pm PDT, Oct 19, Nica Lavinia, Romania
# 1,294:
9:05 am PDT, Oct 19, Name not displayed, Vermont
Many of these tests are outdated, unhelpful, and barbaric. In this day and age humane alternatives are readily available, and a much safer choice for everyone.
# 1,293:
9:36 pm PDT, Oct 18, Pamela White, North Carolina
# 1,292:
2:24 pm PDT, Oct 18, Lolimar Barrera, Venezuela
Don't do this on animals, they don't use our products!!! Thanks!!!
# 1,291:
8:30 pm PDT, Oct 16, Christian Bruce, Kansas
Can you imagine your pet being experimented on and tortured? The only lives they know are lives full of pain and cruelty. No love, no warm bed, no treats or kisses on the head. Their bodies are ripped open, left open, gouged, cut, prodded, electrocuted. All in the name of science. Please make vivisection illegal. Please. Animals feel pain. They are social creatures and are being deprived of the very basic things they need to be happy. Please, please research this, look at the pictures, watch the videos. Do not turn away, do something to stop the horror.
# 1,290:
6:33 pm PDT, Oct 16, Sandi Miller, California
Please stop abusing animals! Please do not be inhumane!
# 1,289:
5:20 pm PDT, Oct 16, Rose Walker, Texas
Outlawing vivisection is long overdue. Samuel Johnson objected to vivisection over 200 years ago. They called themselves "scientists" who nailed dogs to crosses to study the sufferings of Christ. Johnson had another name for the scientists of his day: "Satanists." Despite the eloquent pleas of Johnson et al in defense of animals, the heinous pseudoscience of animal experiementation persists. It must be ended once and for all.
# 1,288:
12:08 pm PDT, Oct 16, Name not displayed, Washington
# 1,287:
11:47 pm PDT, Oct 15, Heike Hansen-Schiemann, Germany
# 1,286:
10:18 pm PDT, Oct 15, Lara Negro Otero, Argentina
# 1,285:
2:54 pm PDT, Oct 15, Diane Strome, Canada
Animals are not ours to use as some humans see fit. The way research facilities use animals sounds just as horrifying as Auschwitz. There's no need for cruel methods anymore, that 90% of the time don't prove anything in regards to humans. And yes, I've had people I love die from cancer and heart disease. And they wouldn't have wanted any animal to die for them. I suffer from severe osteo-arthritis and the thought of some researchers breaking some poor dog's leg just to try out a medication that might help me, makes me absolutely sick. I would rather be in pain, limp or not walk at all than cause any animal to suffer on my behalf. It's time to step forward. Create ways to combat disease that will actually work without doing harm to another living creature. Some companies are doing it already. Why can't the rest of them do what's right?
# 1,284:
1:41 pm PDT, Oct 15, Mary Welsh, United Kingdom
# 1,283:
10:33 am PDT, Oct 15, Dannielle Potts, United Kingdom
# 1,282:
8:14 am PDT, Oct 15, Sherrie Zimbelman, California
# 1,281:
6:33 am PDT, Oct 15, Mary Susan Harrington, Minnesota
I THOUGHT WE HAVE GROWN? THIS IS SADISTIC AND VERY APPALLING. I HAVE NO MERCY FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WORK HERE, YOU ARE ALL PATHETIC!! I ONLY BUY PRODUCTS THAT ARE NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS!! I HAVE BEEN A PRO.GROOMER FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS, AND I AM A LICSENCED COSMETOLOGIST AS WELL.....NEEDLESS TO SAY I ONLY PROMOTE NONE TESTED ANIMALS PRODUCTS TO ALL OF MY CLIENTS!!
# 1,280:
6:22 am PDT, Oct 15, Prima Baily, North Carolina
# 1,279:
2:08 pm PDT, Oct 14, Budoiu Gabriela, Romania
# 1,278:
12:45 pm PDT, Oct 14, Angelika Gülden, Germany
STOP IT !!!! NOW !!!!!
# 1,277:
12:39 pm PDT, Oct 14, Naoko Horikawa, Utah
Animal testing is cruel and there are no animal born to deserve to get this painful life. They have feelings too. Please release them. Don't use their lives for human selfish reasons. I no longer use animal tested products.
# 1,276:
11:55 am PDT, Oct 14, Ayda Kay, United Kingdom
# 1,275:
10:10 am PDT, Oct 14, Carol Waterman, Canada
GOD CREATED ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL, TO BE RESPECTED & LOVED. PLEASE DO NOT EXPERIMENT ON ANYMORE ANIMALS. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE THIS DONE TO YOU?? Carol Waterman 70 Jacques Avenue. Candiac, Qc. Canada. J5R 1A4
# 1,274:
8:37 am PDT, Oct 14, Annie PEYSSON, France
# 1,273:
7:56 am PDT, Oct 14, Sue Le Ray, United Kingdom
stop the cruelty now
# 1,272:
7:52 am PDT, Oct 14, Manuela Curti, United Kingdom
# 1,271:
7:30 am PDT, Oct 14, SAG Atome, Switzerland
# 1,270:
6:37 am PDT, Oct 14, Adrian Hawryluk, Canada
This is a sick abuse of a living, feeling, thinking being. STOP THE VIOLENCE **NOW**!!!!
# 1,269:
4:55 am PDT, Oct 14, Sherry Sangha, United Kingdom
# 1,268:
1:48 am PDT, Oct 14, Benoit Ayotte, Canada
www.clanloups.com
# 1,267:
1:00 am PDT, Oct 14, Bianca Büchele, Germany
# 1,266:
12:54 pm PDT, Oct 13, Britt Camacho, Florida
This has got to stop! How about humans doing testing on themselves instead to see how it feels!
# 1,265:
12:23 pm PDT, Oct 13, Ally Vena, Canada
# 1,264:
10:48 am PDT, Oct 13, Andrew Russell, New York
# 1,263:
9:47 am PDT, Oct 13, Adam Miller, Florida
i fully support this petition and hope that somewhere in congress has the heart to make more bills to end this kind of abuse.
# 1,262:
11:05 pm PDT, Oct 12, Sigrid De Ruyck, Belgium
# 1,261:
9:50 pm PDT, Oct 12, Mary Nishanian, Pennsylvania
Americans/Europeans/Japanese For Medical Advancement (AFMA) promote human wellness by exposing the lost opportunities for cures and the life-threatening results of animal-modeled biomedical research. We educate the public, showing how government and charities misspend medical research dollars and place us at grave risk. Animal-modeled biomedical research yields results that cannot be safely applied to humans. It diverts research dollars that should be going to proven methods of curing human disease. We disclose how industry introduces and keeps unhealthy and often deadly products in the marketplace through animal experiments. As taxpayers, we deserve the best research our money can buy. In their first two books, Drs. Greek explained why the animal model is archaic and dangerous in modern-day biomedical research. Despite the fallacy of the animal model, society seemed reluctant to abandon the animal model unless there was something to replace it. Hence, they were constantly asked what society should use if the animal model was no longer valid. This book answers that question examining traditional research methods such as epidemiology, clinical research, in vitro research with human tissue, and autopsies and newer topics such as genomics, pharmacogenomics, toxicogenomics, DNA chips, stem cells and technology. Medical research has progressed from the days of studying anatomy and physiology on the gross level to studying the differences in disease and drug response between men and women, adults and children, and different genotypes. Consequently, using animals as surrogate humans has decreasing utility. Fortunately, today we have research and testing methods far superior to animal models.
# 1,260:
9:40 pm PDT, Oct 12, Rita Wareham, New York
I am against this and do not want my tax dollars supporting such cruelty and BAD "science"
# 1,259:
9:36 pm PDT, Oct 12, Sheila Mahon, New York
of Hippocrates. The "Father of Medicine" was opposed to animal research for ethical reasons but also because it was "bad science." Not using animals in experiments would hasten cures for human disease. Use of animals for human related diseases slows the process (and wastes our tax $$) as every species of animal is a different biomechanical and biochemical entity. Non-human animals are different not only from us but also from each other: * Aspirin kills cats and penicillin kills guinea pigs yet they are wonder drugs for humans. * Guinea pigs can safely eat strychnine and so can monkeys, our close relatives. * Sheep can eat arsenic and possums can eat 100 times the amount of opium that would kill a human. * Brown rats and white rats react differently to the same drugs. And the list goes on. Once you have recreated a disease, it is artificial whether it is in humans or other species and therefore it is different and cannot be studied accurately. Animal researchers justify their use of animals claiming that animals are “similar enough” to humans…if you needed a blood transfusion would you accept one from a goat. Chimpanzees are 98% genetically the same as humans yet in the 10 years plus researchers have not been able to give them human aids. And if we think it is immoral to experiment on humans how do we justify experimenting on one that is “similar enough”. Cancer research has been going on for more than 200 years with billions of taxpayer dollars thrown at it every year. The truth is that the scientists and pharmaceutical companies KNOW that animal research is a fraud. They admit it. But it is big business and we all pay the price, monetarily, health wise, and morally.
# 1,258:
9:30 pm PDT, Oct 12, Nadia Papazian, New York
Animal experimentaion is not only cruel. it's a FRAUD and TEHFT of taxpayer money. It KEEPS people ill...STOP THIS ATROCITY
# 1,257:
8:52 pm PDT, Oct 12, Lorraine Keshner, New York
It makes no sense to torture the innocent.. We should be beyond this, the only reason we're not is because of greed and mindless ambitions.. because we think Man has the right,... we don't.. we never have.. THIS! must be stopped.... and stopped now..
# 1,256:
7:01 pm PDT, Oct 12, Laurie Montfort, Georgia
# 1,255:
6:41 pm PDT, Oct 12, Jackie Coombs, United Kingdom
# 1,254:
5:41 pm PDT, Oct 12, Anita Solomon, Florida
# 1,253:
3:34 pm PDT, Oct 12, Neesan Sims, United Kingdom
Animals are not ours to treat in this way ,, It is barbaric and should be outlawed worldwide ! “I do not believe that any of the suffering I have caused to laboratory animals has helped humanity in the slightest." -- Ryder, Richard D., English scientist and author ” —Ryder, Richard D
# 1,252:
1:57 pm PDT, Oct 12, Dolores Pena-Davis, California
# 1,251:
11:03 am PDT, Oct 12, Lale Alatli, Greece
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