AR-News: (WA) Seattle PI - Letters re Experimentation

[Bob Chorush]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/176902_ltrs9.html

EXPERIMENTATION



Animals' lives worth more than research

It appears that Susan Paynter cannot give up on praising the value of 
experimenting on animals, especially after receiving a $3,000 prize from 
the Biomedical Research Association.

I am a retired senior citizen and proud to be an animal rights activist. 
Paynter's column makes me even more cynical.

It is obvious that the majority of older people these days want to live 
forever along with their animals. We also know that human and veterinary 
animal research medicine (including fertility and cloning) is very lucrative.

Paynter's visit with Dr. Michael E. DeBakey (nearly 96 years old) to 
discuss open-heart surgery success and other so-called achievements of the 
medical world didn't impress me. We have all heard about the scandalous 
black market of organ trafficking.

The real terrorists are not the people who speak out for animals; real 
terrorists are the ones who believe that medicine and transplants must be 
pursued at all costs.

Unwanted and unplaced dogs and cats are caused by greedy and irresponsible 
humans who breed purebred dogs for profit or want their children to witness 
the miracle of birth.

Humans must change their lifestyle and reach for the stars, but only 
metaphorically. Science has definitely gone mad.

Older people need to let go of their lives gracefully when their time 
comes. No heroics, please, and leave the animals alone.

Claudine Erlandson

Shoreline



Animal research can't be extrapolated to humans

It was obvious, reading Susan Paynter's column extolling the benefits of 
animal experimentation, that she knows absolutely nothing about the 
subject. I find that appalling. When a writer reaches as many readers as 
she does, she owes it to those readers to educate herself and not merely 
publicize the views of vivisectors and ignore the facts. Experimenters 
themselves admit that the research they've done on animals cannot be 
extrapolated to human beings, but since vivisection is a key part of the 
medical/pharmaceutical industry and profits rely on the public believing in 
it, the pseudo science continues.

Moral and philosophical issues aside, it is scientifically impossible to 
extrapolate experiments from animals to other animals or from animals to 
humans.

Animal experimentation keeps the myth alive that a miracle cure is just 
around the corner for every disease. But after 100 years, disease rates are 
skyrocketing. Animal experimenters want the public to believe that a drug 
is the answer to their problems when, in fact, drugs do not heal; they 
merely suppress symptoms and cause harmful side-effects. The true answer to 
disease is prevention, cleaning up the environment and a healthy diet.

Britt Lind
Everett
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