Legislation Watch
So-called "Pet Safety Bills" don't protect pets but they do pose a threat to medical research. More information
Science Policy Announcements
For the latest news from the APS Science Policy click here.
Resource Book Now Available
Click here for more info on The APS Resource Book for the Design of Animal Exercise Protocols.
Opponents of Research Target Charities
Health charities that fund animal research are being targeted by the "humane seal of approval" campaign developed by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in conjunction with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). This "humane giving" campaign is predicated on the activist view that animal research is inhumane and lacks scientific value. Its goal is to pressure health charities to stop supporting animal research to develop cures.
In addition to PCRM and PETA, the other organizations participating in this campaign include the Medical Research Modernization Committee, the American Anti-Vivisection Society, In Defense of Animals, the National Anti-Vivisection Society, the New England Anti-Vivisection Society, Last Chance for Animals, and Beauty Without Cruelty.
Charities are classified as acceptable or unacceptable depending upon whether they sign a statement of assurance that they do not and will not "conduct, commission, or in any way fund Experiments on Nonhuman Animals." PCRM and PETA have recruited a number of celebrity spokespersons for the campaign and have developed ads encouraging the public not to give to organizations that fail to sign this pledge. The forerunner of this effort is a campaign PETA initiated against the March of Dimes in the early 1990s.
APS Executive Director Martin Frank recently sent a letter urging one PCRM celebrity spokesman to reconsider his participation in this campaign. Actor Noah Wyle is best known for his role as emergency room physician Dr. John Carter in the NBC series E.R. "Animal research is not a perfect predictor of what happens in the human body," Dr. Frank explained in his letter, "but currently it is the most effective one for answering certain kinds of questions."
In an article published in the July 28, 2002 issue of The Washington Times, laboratory animal veterinarian John D. Young, chairman of the Americans for Medical Progress Board of Directors, described the campaign as an effort "aimed at stopping the humane and responsible use of laboratory animals in biomedical research." Young noted that PCRM and PETA have "attacked several of the nation's leading health research charities and have sought to drive physicians and scientists away from their quest to improve human and animal health."
Charities targeted because of their support for animal research include not only the March of Dimes, but also the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, American Foundation for AIDS Research, the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, the American Red Cross and Boys Town. "Seventy charities in all are currently on PCRM/PETA's "don't donate" list," Young wrote. "These are organizations that through their grants and contributions to biomedical research are responsible for hundreds of specific achievements in medical progress." Conversely, the charities being championed as humane are mainly "involved in patient assistance, not research." While these causes "do provide 'essential health services' and they deserve our support," Young pointed out that "the vital and necessary work performed by an AIDS hospice provides no hope for effective treatments or cures for millions of AIDS patients worldwide."
One can gain further insight into the "humane seal" campaign by looking at PETA's on-going efforts to erode public support for the March of Dimes. Starting in the 1990s with protests against the March of Dimes' fundraising walk-a-thons, this campaign now involves celebrity endorsements and more elaborate media events. PETA has even created a special anti-March of Dimes website (www.marchofcrimes.org), which includes the following statements:
"With the worthy goal of preventing birth defects, the March of Dimes collects millions of dollars in donations annually. But most donors who generously open their pocketbooks are unaware that their gifts help to fund painful experiments on animals. The March of Dimes has funneled millions of dollars into laboratory studies on primates, rats, mice, cats, dogs, rabbits, pigs, sheep, guinea pigs, opossums, and members of other animal species.
Both animals and human babies are the losers, because every dollar spent to harm these animals is a dollar that could have—and should have—been used to help people."
This is one of the many tactics research opponents are using to encourage the public to look for the humane seal of approval before donating to charities. In addition to paid advertisements and various media stunts, supporters of this campaign are sending letters to the editor and submitting opinion articles asserting that animals are abused in laboratories and that data derived from animal research is not applicable to humans because of differences between species. Scientists should take every opportunity to rebut these false claims.
Also: Don't let your charitable donations go to organizations that undermine medical research.
Back to Top Back to Bioscience Briefing