British Anti-vivisection Association (BAVA)
There are differences between rodents and humans:
- Around 3 million animals are used in experiments every year in the UK.
- Animals are shot, burned, poisoned, irradiated, have limbs broken, electodes put in their brains and infected with diseases.
- In 1998 2, 659,622 animal experiments causing lasting suffering were conducted in Great Britain.
- 65% of these took place without anaesthetic
- Animal testing DOES No save human lives.
- “A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy.”
- Medical research is “immoral even if it’s essential.”
- Even if animal testing produced a cure for AIDs, “we’d be against it.”
- Pet ownership is an “abysmal situation brought about by human manipulation.”
- “Six million people died in concentration camps, but six billion chickens will die this year in slaughter houses”
The above statements were from Ingrid Newkirk, co-founder and vice president of PETA, the last statement was made to the Washington Post.
We’re demoralising the people who think there’s a buck to be made in animal research. They get scared…and they’re starting to veer away.” Dr. Neal Barnard, PETA’s medical advisor.
Many Drugs can be harmful to humans and yet safe in animals:
Artromid S- caused deaths from cancer, liver, gall bladder and intestinal disease.
E Ferol- Killed premature babies and cased birth defects.
Maxiton- Caused damage to the heart and nervous system
Urethane- caused cancer of the liver, lungs and bone marrow.
Eraidin- caused severe eye and digestive tract damage.
Reserpine- Increased risk of cancer, caused nightmares and depression.
Phenformin- caused 1,000 deaths annually until removed from the market.
Pro-animal testing:
Animal testing has played a vital role in providing antibiotics, vaccines, insulin for diabetes, anaesthetics, anticoagulants and heart valve replacements.
Without animal research it is difficult to see how we could develop new treatments for conditions affecting the nervous system and other complex conditions such as cancer, AIDs and heart disease.
“We are fortunate to live in a time when we no longer have to fear the many common diseases which were the main causes of childhood death only a century ago. These diseases have been conquered by medical research.”
2 million cats abandoned every year, 800 million slaughtered for human consumption, only 2.6 million used in medical research. The equivilent of one mouse per person every 20 years.
Many of the treatments that are developed using animal testing are also present in a vets surgery from antibiotics to vaccines.
U.K. law does no allow animal testing if there’s an alterative method. The law insists that as few animals as possible are used and that they are well looked after and humanely treated.
In practice, animal reseach, test-tube methods, computer technology, and human studies, are used together to tackle difficult medical problems. Medical advances for people and animals will depend on medical research that includes some careful, humane use of animals.
Biomedical Research Education Trust.
“Most People See A Rat…We See Our Best Hope For The Future…For Our Patients’ Sakes Let Animal Research Continue.” SIMR.
The average number of operations that take place in the UK:
3,000,000 operations under anaesthetic,
90,000 cataract operations,
60,000 joint replacements,
13,000 coronary bypasses,
10,000 pacemakers implanted,
6,000 heart valves repaired or replaced,
2,500 corneal transplants,
2,000 kidney transplants,
400 heart/lung transplants.
NONE OF THESE WOULD BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT ANIMAL TESTING…
All animal testing is guided by the principal of the three R’s:
Reduction,
Refinement,
Replacement.
Of the 2,000 types of drug on the mare, less than 40 have been withdraw in the UK, US, France or Germany. This indicates a success rate of at least 98% for drug testing procedures. In fact, only 10 of these drugs have been withdrawn in all four countries.