Not 4 the faint of heart!

Let me guess who would you rather see live?

Will you tell those that have an affliction that their lives equal those of a laboratory animal?

Will you tell those that are paraplegic that animal research has to stop because you are against animal use?

Will you tell the millions of people that are waiting for cures, treatments or life saving drugs that their condition is secondary to the fate of the animals that will be used in research?

Or will you listen to Professor Robin Lovell Badge whom says in this excellent article that when it comes to animal research nine out of ten statistics used by those opposing animal use are taken out of context?

When there is animal research towards finding cures or treatments, making sure that the intended drugs or treatments are safe for use in humans is a necessary step that requires animal testing. It would not be wise to go straight into human testing therefore assurances (toxicity levels etc) need to be obtained, measured and analyzed through animal research. This precautionary principle benefits mankind everywhere where it is applied and enshrined into laws. This has nothing to do with sentiency nor cruelty but everything to do with common sense and a high sense of civic duty and care.

Perhaps you may want to listen to Amanda Wainright, a young girl whom has signed the petition in support of medical progress through science and animals research. Here is what she has to say:

This is important to me because I, myself, am a paraplegic! I've been chair bound since 11.11.07, we need a cure! This is something I not only hope for myself, but for every person, (young , old, big, or small) that suffers through life with a impairment of any sort, that to date has no cure! WE ALL NEED A CURE, please sign this petition and support finding that cure that we all are so desperately waiting for! Thank you all in advance! It means the world to us! God bless you all for giving your time to read this! :)

And if you want to study and become a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine, read this guest post by Kelly Walton whom has some very constructive comments about animal research and how it benefits humans and animals.

Likewise I would kindly suggest you ask yourself what will happen with this valuable research as chimps are on the verge of disappearing as an animal model ? Animal cruelty or political correctness? Those millions of people that are waiting for cures will again be the silent victims of these great Victories...

Animal rights ID card and Research Chimpanzee Colony Valuable !

American Physiological Society Research Chimpanzee Colony is Valuable Resource

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-t-talman-md/animal-testing-medicine_b_2250283.html

Why would you care about animal research? Why not simply speak on behalf of animals, show compassion and decry animal use as torture, vile and useless? Join the masses of self-proclaimed politically correct thinkers: our society should treat animals on an equal basis as humans.

These two articles above should make you think. Medical progress isn't a result of chance, it is a difficult process that involves many brilliant and dedicated minds. It is true that not all research leads to a drug, the vast majority does not but it certainly isn't an exercise in futility. Some discoveries are indeed a result of chance or are the basis for other research. It is a building process where knowledge and understanding are building blocks -each scientist being able to build on the knowledge and foundations of the others. That doesn't mean there is no room for disagreement but indeed little room for ignorance.

You may decide for yourself that you can not live with such a process and you prefer to opt out. That is perfectly fine when that decision affects you and only you. Whilst opting out as an animal rights activist and as the Americans for medical Progress suggests you should  sign and carry this card that specifies:

Animal Rights Identification Card

Animal Rights Identification Card

I, ____________________________________

hereby identify myself as a supporter

of animal rights and agree to live my life in

accordance with all animal rights principles.

(over)

So as not to violate my animal rights principles, I

hereby request that in the event of an accident or

illness, all medical treatments developed or tested on animals be withheld, including but not limited to:

blood transfusions, anesthesia, pain killers,

antibiotics, insulin, vaccines, chemotherapy,

coronary bypass surgery, reconstructivesurgery, orthopedic surgery, etc.

©1992–2010. Compliments of Americans for Medical Progress: (703) 836-9595

Urge Your Senators to Oppose the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act!

Urge Your Senators to Oppose the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act!

FASEB and NABR are asking you to contact your Senator and the congress to oppose this legislation. Here's why explained by FASEB President Judith S. Bond. You can also follow the link below and send a letter or email to your Senator by giving your zip code! Think of research on, and medical progress for those affected by,  HIV/AIDS - EBOLA MARBURG VIRUS ETC.

Dear Colleague,

We need your help to counter a serious threat to the humane use of animals in research. The Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act (S 810), which would prohibit the use of chimpanzees in medical research, may be voted on in the Senate this week (it was approved by a Senate committee in July)! Passage of this bill could have devastating consequences for ongoing research into human diseases such as hepatitis C, as well as studies benefiting the great apes themselves. Even if you do not work with great apes, you should be concerned about this bill because it would end research deemed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to be ethically sound and scientifically important and could pave the way for legislation to ban research with other species

Those who oppose the use of animals in research are making an aggressive effort to get this bill passed before Congress goes home for the year. We must let them know that chimpanzees are important animal models for research. Please take action now by going to http://capwiz.com/faseb/issues/alert/?alertid=62215781 to send an email to your Senators urging them to oppose the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act.

Sincerely,

Judith S. Bond, PhD

FASEB President
 

 

Warning this medical progress is not supported by those that oppose animal USE such as PETA, BUAV and HSUS!   

 

If you prefer to write directly as opposed to using the FASEB site, here is some text you can use from the same site.

As a constituent and biomedical researcher, I am writing to urge you to oppose the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act (S 810). This legislation, which would ban all invasive research involving great apes, ignores the scientific advice of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), would halt valuable ongoing disease research, and could severely compromise human health in the face of a rapidly spreading infectious disease for which no other animal or non-animal model is appropriate.
The IOM does not endorse a ban on the use of chimpanzees in research. In its recent report, "Chimpanzees in Biomedical and Behavioral Research: Assessing the Necessity" the IOM recognized "how disruptive an immediate outright ban would be, affecting animal care and potentially causing unacceptable losses to the public's health." Its report concluded that chimpanzees may be needed to treat new, emerging, or reemerging diseases or disorders; to complete development of monoclonal antibodies aimed at treating cancers and autoimmune diseases; and for behavioral and comparative genomics research. Many of the IOM committee and numerous other scientists and physicians believe that chimpanzees are necessary for evaluating hepatitis C vaccines. 

The Ebola virus is ravaging wild populations of chimpanzees and gorillas. In 2010, the first studies were conducted on laboratory chimpanzees to test the safety of a potential vaccine that could be used to protect these animals from this deadly disease. This and other research aimed at protecting wild apes would have to come to an end if this bill is adopted.
The claim that the bill will save money is false. The Congressional Budget Office recently determined that the legislation will actually cost $56 million to implement.
Passage of the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act would ignore the recommendations of the IOM and inhibit our efforts to improve human and animal health. I strongly urge you to oppose S 810, the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act.
 

NABR issued the following ALERT for US Constituents to act upon:

Urgent Alert:
Please Contact Your Senators Today to Oppose S.810,
The Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act

Late last week, a few members of the Senate attempted to take a step forward in bringing S. 810, the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act (GAPCSA), to the floor for consideration. The attempt failed, in part because many Senators had already left for the weekend. However, supporters of the bill are likely to continue these efforts in the waning weeks of the 112th Congress so it is crucial that you IMMEDIATELY contact your members of Congress in opposition to GAPSCA. THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW!

• The legislation would take the unprecedented step of prohibiting the use of a research model, allowing public comment about the merit of specific research projects and protocols and opening the door for future prohibition of other research models.
• Legislation is unnecessary as NIH is in the process of implementing the recommendations of the IOM study, which was requested by NIH.
• Despite the fact that the bill claims to be a "Cost Savings" the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office determined the legislation would actually cost $56 million over the 2013-2017 period.

This legislation has serious implications for ALL biomedical research involving humane and responsible animal research, which is dedicated to improved treatments and cures for the many diseases afflicting both people and other animals. Not only will S. 810 prohibit the use of chimpanzees as a model for vital life-saving research, but it will subject scientific research (both private and federally funded) to the approval of the Secretary of Health & Human Services. Simply put, this legislation will put the future of biomedical research on dangerous ground.

Please click here to visit NABR's Capwiz page to send a letter to your representatives in Washington. If you would like to call your Senator, please click here to find their phone number. Please urge your family, friends, and fellow researchers to do the same as soon as possible! 

 

To find out more about the importance of research on Pan Troglodytes , read this fact sheet here!!

This post follows a previous alert / post I wrote 26.07.2012 that you can read here:

http://research4drugdiscovery.blogspot.com/2012/07/beware-take-action-for-animal-research.html

 

United we stand !

Some important news caught my eyes recently and I felt it was important to share this with you:

• The subject of animal rights extremists is of concern to most of us and airlines as we know are not immune to pressures exerted by these entities. On June 11th-12th 2012 FASEB hosted a summit on combating animal rights extremism. You can read the press release here.

Here are some of the topics discussed:

• acts of extremism,
• update on current tactics of animal rights groups,
• the threat imposed by extremists internationally,
• engaging the public about the importance of animal research.
• Panel discussions on how to use legal and regulatory outlets to protect against extremism
• What individuals and organizations can do to prepare against extremism.

The second day focused on preparing communication strategies on the benefits of animal research and preparing for and mitigating animal extremist actions. These recommendations will form the basis for a guidance document to be published by FASEB. Stay tuned for the final document.

• From the same source at FASEB an update on the use of Chimps in research was received by the NIH Council of Councils. As above you can read the update here. 

I am taking the liberty of reproducing the text for those of you that want to follow the links and to be aware of what research is taking place and where it is at on some disease aspects (ex HIV etc.):

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Working Group on the Use of Chimpanzees in NIH-Supported Research provided an update to the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) Council of Councils at a meeting on June 5^th. Charged by the Council of Councils with developing a plan to implement the recommendations in the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM’s) report on the use of chimpanzees in biomedical and behavioral research, the Working Group is in the midst of evaluating NIH-funded projects using chimpanzees, visiting chimpanzee facilities to observe current practices, and consulting with experts in various fields in order to draft their report. They have also reviewed all of the responses to their recent Request for Information, which elicited 110 comments (23 of which were from organizations including the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology and 56 were form letters). The Working Group will provide the Council with its initial recommendations in September and submit the final report at the January 2012 meeting followed by a 60 day public comment period. Slides from the Council of Councils meeting can be found here.

That's it for me folks and thanks for reading!