Help End the Use/Abuse of Chimpanzees in Labs

[Ed. Note: Read NEAVS testimony before the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council of the National Academies of Science during their second public meeting held in Washington D.C., August 11 – 12th. The Committee on Chimpanzees in Biomedical and Behavioral Research (the Committee) is charged with evaluating the scientific necessity of chimpanzee research.]

FROM New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS)

ACTION

Send your comments about the cruel and scientifically unnecessary use of chimpanzees in laboratories. Use this official form
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/feedback.aspx?key=49370&type=project

INFORMATION / TALKING POINTS

The IOM is seeking additional PUBLIC COMMENTS that could make a difference in their report. Please take this opportunity to tell the Committee that chimpanzee research is cruel and scientifically unnecessary, and that you oppose it. Below is sample language for you to consider, but please personalize your comments for maximum impact.

I urge the Institute of Medicine to guarantee an objective review of the necessity and applicability of chimpanzee research to human health. To meet the ethical obligation the Committee has to the public, as well as the scientific obligation it has to research, the Committee must consider all aspects of the use of chimpanzees: scientific, ethical, humane and economic. Each of these areas has its own implications for human well-being. NIH cannot be allowed to tie the Committee’s hands.

The majority of the U.S. chimpanzee population has spent decades languishing in a lab—some 40 or 50 years. This fact alone challenges arguments of their necessity or usefulness and compels consideration of their suffering. At any given time fewer than 20% are in active protocols—hardly an indication of necessity or usefulness. A full 71% of the American public believes that those who have spent 10 years or more should be retired to sanctuary.

I respectfully request that the Committee leaves no stone unturned in examining the use of chimpanzees and includes a better balance to the opinions of scientists with vested interests in perpetuating their use. You must call on more scientists within the animal protection community as well as practitioners in various areas of human health. As can be seen, those outside of the NIH system, or institutions funded by it, are providing compelling evidence that the scientific necessity and useful of chimpanzees is a historic fact that can no longer be defended by modern science.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Thank you for everything you do for animals!