Target: Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Goal: Pass the Humane Research and Testing Act to promote alternatives to animal research.
Besides the ethical concerns that arise from experiments in which animals are exposed to toxic chemicals, intentionally inflicted with fatal disease, or forcibly constrained, there are also fundamental limitations to animal research. For example, an estimated 90% of tests in animals fail to accurately predict human responses to drugs or other products. These concerns, coupled with major advances in modern technologies, make animal testing practices outdated and, quite frankly, unnecessary.
The Humane Research and Testing Act has recently been reintroduced to Congress. If passed, this bill would establish the National Center for Alternatives to Animal Research and Testing within the National Institutes of Health to help fund, incentivize, and train scientists on the use of viable non-animal alternatives. This bill would be the first of its kind to promote a gradual shift towards ethical testing, and would spare tens of millions of animals from the tortures of experimentation.
Sign this petition to demand that Congress vote to pass this bill, and to encourage the adoption of humane, non-animal testing methods.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Representative Pelosi,
Tens of millions of mice, rats, dogs, cats, ferrets, frogs, fish, hamsters, horses, monkeys, owls, and other animals are subjected to torturous experiments in the name of human scientific curiosity. Despite the prevalence of animal research, these tests often have over a 90% failure rate for successfully predicting human responses. In the face of modern technology and viable, humane alternatives, there is absolutely no reason to rely on animal research methods as heavily as we do now.
The Humane Research and Testing Act has recently been reintroduced to the House. This bill would promote non-animal testing through establishing the National Center for Alternatives to Animal Research and Testing within the National Institutes of Health—which would be the fist of its kind to fund and train researchers in alternative methods of testing. Under this legislation, federally funded research institutions and agencies would also have to report, and devise plans to reduce, the number of animals used each year. If passed, this bill would save millions of innocent animals throughout the U.S. from being tortured in labs.
We are asking you, Ms. Pelosi, to ditch the antiquated practice of animal testing in favor of more humane alternatives by passing the Humane Research and Testing Act.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Understanding Animal Research
