I am disgusted that a group of individuals has organised itself into a protest organisation that opposes our views. There must be no disent on this issue, all opposing views must be crushed using violent means if needed.

The opinions of us, a small unrepresentitive group lacking scientific knowledge or a willingness to discover any true facts about the issues involved are the only ones that matter.

I suggest we trace one or two of the key organisers of this group, then we threaten them with physical violence via the safety of a phone call, frighten their children to and from school (although not if the chidlren are too big) and if we are really brave dig up a dead relative

Perhaps you have never considered that ther are those who have a different viewpoint on this issue. Many who work in medical research have seen the benefits animal testing has brought, the drugs developed, the theorys proven.

Doctors and scientists involved in biomedical research overwhelmingly agree that the continued use of animals in research is necessary. In 1988 and 1989 the American Medical Association surveyed 500,000 active physicians, both members and non-members. 97% supported the use of animals in medical research. A survey of the attitudes of 800 UK doctors was carried out by the British Medical Association in 1993. Over 94% agreed with the statement that “animal experiments have made an important contribution to many advances in medicine.” Only 2.3% disagreed. 83% agreed that “animal experiments have an important benefits in developing new treatments.”

The BMA produced an official statement on animal research: “The BMA believes that animal experimentation is necessary at present to develop a better understanding of diseases and how to treat them, but believes that, wherever possible, alternative methods should be used.”

Section 6 of this document describes the British Association for the Advancement of Science's Declaration on Animal Experiments and its overwhelming support among eminent scientists and doctors.

In 1996, SIMR conducted a survey of Nobel Laureates in medicine and physiology to commemorate the centenary of Nobel's death.

100% agreed that “animal experiments had been vital to the discovery and development of many advances in physiology and medicine”
100% agreed that “animal experiments are still crucial to the investigation and development of many medical treatments”
100% agreed that “Because there is no complete alternative yet, a total and immediate ban on animal experiments would hamper much medical progress.”

For every £1 spent on medical research, only 5p is spent on animal experiments, which are vital and complement computer studies, test tube experiments and studying people. If we look at the number of laboratory animals used, and the potential improvements in quality of life for both humans and other animals arising from such research, then we can see that the benefits far outweigh the costs. The following facts bring animal experimentation into a realistic focus:

Research that had led to treatments for diseases such as


Vaccines & viral infections
Antibiotics & bacterial infections
Cancer
Heart disease
Tropical diseases
Kidney disease
Asthma
Alzheimer's disease
Epilepsy
Veterinary disease
Genetic diseases
Autoimmune disorders

Maybe you might like to consider that there are many who consider the use of anuimals vital in continuing this research.