Over the course of many years, scientists who use animals in their research have been subject to harassment, threats, and violence by individuals acting in the name of animal rights. The American Physiological Society unequivocally condemns the targeting of individuals engaged in legitimate scientific inquiry.
Knowledge obtained through research with animals has saved many lives and improved the quality of life for millions of people and animals. Scientists recognize that they have ethical duties both to relieve suffering through research as well as to provide humane care for the animals in their charge. Moreover, the use of animals in research is subject to strict regulatory oversight.
Harassment, threats, and violence in the name of animal rights contribute nothing to the betterment of animal welfare. These tactics are all the more abhorrent since animal research continues to play an essential role in efforts to discover causes, preventions, treatments, and cures for diseases that afflict both humans and animals.
Approved by the American Physiological Society Council on July 22, 2011.
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