Defy MEPs on animal testing
RARELY can politicians have been so out-of-step with public opinion as with the European Parliament vote this week on the new animal experiments law.
A recent YouGov poll in six representative EU countries — the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Italy — showed huge majorities in favour of banning painful experiments on monkeys, cats and dogs, experiments causing severe suffering (on all species) and all experiments which are not for life-threatening or serious human illnesses.
But MEPs have passed amendments which would allow suffering which is both severe and prolonged and the repeated use of the same animal in painful experiments. Cats and dogs would continue to be used, as would most species of monkey.
Experiments will continue to take place for trivial reasons which have nothing to do with human illnesses, such as testing for paints and washing-up liquid and weapons research.
The proposed legislation now goes to national governments and then back to the European Parliament. Elections for MEPs take place in early June. Readers can help ensure that the new intake is more responsive to public opinion by contacting candidates for their views and using their vote appropriately.
MICHELLE THEW Chief Executive British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV)
Comments
by Kevin Elliott, Oxford
Saturday, May 23 2009, 5:30PM
“Animal research has been an essential tool in the development of many life saving medicines and surgical techniques.
A few examples: insulin treatments for diabetics, inhalers for asthmatics, treatments for people with cystic fibrosis, improved cancer treatments.
The fact that Michelle ignores is that a human who requires medical help is worth just as much as a healthy human.
If it takes some well regulated and licenced research on animals to make sure that sick and disabled people can survive, I'm a supporter, and most of our MEPs are as well. Remember, people with health problems can vote!”