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President's Message

(Winter 2002) — In the months following the terrorist attacks, our reactions as a community ranged from profound sadness, to paralyzing fear, to anxious confusion, to rage. In situations, however, when a response is not fraught with the complexity of genuine human emotion -- because it has an ulterior motive -- it can be easily predicted. A response meant to manipulate others will be cool and calculating and seem very logical.

It was no surprise, then, when I read a Web site posting of Americans for Medical Progress (AMP), an advocacy organization for animal research, which followed the 9-11 events. It was clear that their posting was a glaring example of a kind of looting that can sometimes go on after the chaos of a tragedy. In the AMP’s case, they were looting dollars for animal research by playing on the fears and needs that such horrific acts of terrorism create. What else would we expect from them but a call for more animal research? When your motive is self-serving and single minded, your "solutions" to everything are always the same thing.

AMP posted an article entitled "More animal testing needed to combat bioterrorism." In it, testimony presented before a congressional committee by General John Parker, commander of the US army research facility at Ft. Detrick, MD, claimed: "There is a critical shortage of labs, animals and expertise to conduct necessary research to counter bioterrorism."

The military has been conducting chemical and germ warfare research on animals for decades. To propose that more money is needed to test is like saying: 1) We haven't really been doing our job all those years; 2) We need to keep doing the same thing because despite millions of your dollars and millions of animals we just can't seem to get it right; or, 3) If people are scared enough they will believe anything -- so let's play on that to keep the dollars rolling.

More animal research is not what is needed. What is needed is swift and generous financial support from our government to empower medical facilities throughout the United States. Medical caregivers need know-how, appropriate facilities and supplies so that our medical system would be prepared to treat any and ALL possible victims of any and all possible future terrorist attacks.

According to Discover magazine, a major survey of the Northwest showed that many hospitals are "frighteningly ill prepared" to deal with biological or chemical threats to American health. The emergency coordinator for the U.S. Public Health Service, Don Wetter, reportedly found that "fewer than one fifth [of the hospitals] have plans in place for coping with biological or chemical incidents." This is less than 20% of the medical facilities to which we would turn for help. Co-author of the study, physician Bill Daniell of the University of Washington at Seattle wrote, "The reality is that there are still only so many health-care dollars that can be allocated to this." Those dollars will be even fewer if the vivisectors get their way and their money!

Our government must take responsibility for helping American citizens in the event of such attacks. This is not the time for the lobbying interests of those who profit mightily from animal research to reach the ears of our elected officials with the wrong message. The strong-armed and well-endowed lobbying interests of the vivisection industry can dupe and sway even those who would otherwise do right. Our government must place its attention on helping every medical facility in America become expert, prepared and supplied to deal with such possible man-made tragedy.

There is no need, no room, and should be no dollars wasted on the self-serving call for more animal research. Opposing further animal research on biological and chemical weapons is not anti-American. Rather, demanding that the government take seriously its mandate to protect its citizens by providing what is already known and available to medical facilities is a very right and patriotic thing to do. If you care about your country and other Americans, ask your legislators to PLEASE not be swayed by those whose entire life is a self-serving effort to perpetuate their profit from animal research. Help us defeat those who now prey on our fears and offer wrong and cruel solutions.

Tell your elected officials that you want your tax dollars put in community preparedness and response and not into torturing animals by exposing even more of them to deadly chemical and biological toxins.

The events of this past year can and MUST serve to strengthen our commitment to each other and to compassion as a true guiding principle. NEAVS thanks you for caring and looks forward with you to a safe, kind and renewing New Year.

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The State of the Anti-Vivisection Movement in America