Programs & Campaigns

A Voice for All Animals

July 25, 2005

The New York Times Magazine

Dear Editor:

Charles Siebert clearly felt an affinity for his subjects in, "Planet of the Retired Apes" (July 24) - who wouldn't. However, it also appeared that he did not do his homework - there have been no "indispensable" rewards, recent or otherwise, from using chimpanzees in scientific research. No one can say what great advances we have missed by spending $15 billion a year on animal research to the exclusion of numerous more effective and more applicable modes of study. Needless to say, not much of the financial pie
is left for prevention which we know can save millions of lives. Apparently prevention doesn't make anyone any money and apparently, from the way they sound in Siebert's article, the researchers and consultants doing chimp research make a bundle. It is big business as usual, except here it is at the expense of innocent animals - just as it had been at the expense of Jews, Chinese and African-Americans in the past.

The media just won't give up being the mouthpiece for
the biomedical community even when, increasingly,
stories of "medical/pharmaceutical miracles" tested on
animals fail to pan out and are, literally, killing
us.

Lorin Lindner, PhD, MPH
Clinical Psychologist
Public Health Specialist