Withdrawing Support from those who Test on Animals
April 24 every year is World Laboratory Animal Day, and the week surrounding this date is known as WWAIL – World Week for Animals in Laboratories. Most people are completely unaware of the exorbitant numbers of animals that are tortured each year for the testing of drugs, weapons, surgical procedures, cosmetics and household products. Even a small country like Australia uses approximately 7 million animals each year for various scientific research and teaching projects.
The most prolific user of animals for “live testing”, (also known as vivisection), is the biomedical industry. Unknown to most people, biomedicine is a global multi-billion dollar industry, protected by law and hidden away from public scrutiny. Under the guise of being a “necessary evil”, (because vivisection is often considered to be the most effective way for us to continue advancing human health), scores of animals are tortured in experiments that are pointless and wasteful. To illustrate this argument, an American animal advocacy group called In Defense of Animals has compiled a list of the Top Ten most futile experiments carried out on animals (in the USA) during the past three years. This gives consumers some idea about the ways their money is being used – or misused – at the expense of innocent animals. The IDA campaign against “Ridiculous Research” can be viewed here: www.idausa.org/ridiculousresearch/index.html
Because most scientific research is made possible using financial donations from the public, or through funding from government, (which again, is money that ultimately comes from the public purse), it means that WE – the people – are complicit in the crimes. But take heart, for there are several things we can do, as individuals, to avoid participating in the brutality of vivisection:
- Donate only to those medical charities that have pledged not to fund or carry out animal-based research: www.humanecharities.org.au
- Purchase only products from companies that have given a guarantee that they do not test products (or ingredients) on animals: www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au/list.html
- Refrain from purchasing any products from companies that test their products or their ingredients on animals: https://www.facebook.com/pages/End-Suffering-of-Wildlife-Companion-Animals/180464141989098?sk=app_6009294086
- Move all superannuation money into a fund that does not invest our earnings in the biomed industry: www.crueltyfreesuper.com.au
- Educate ourselves about the facts of vivisection so that when people ask us, we can explain why it is unnecessary and unethical: www.speakforanimals.info/vivisection
- Become a member of Humane Research Australia, to support their valuable work of promoting only ethical techniques of medical research: www.humaneresearch.org.au
- Promote WWAIL in our local communities, at our workplaces or schools, or within our local clubs so that the information is no longer hidden: www.wwail.org/whatis.html
- Speak out whenever possible against animal cruelty, and write letters to our politicians and to the media voicing our dissatisfaction with the secrecy and wastefulness of the biomed industry.
- Eat a healthy vegan diet, exercise regularly, keep an optimistic attitude and utilise natural therapies if we ever feel unwell, because enjoying a healthy body and mind keeps us away from pharmaceutical drugs and helps to withdraw our money from the cycle of biomed research.
All these things will help put an end to the cruel activities that are carried out, (with impunity, and without conscience), behind the closed doors of research laboratories.
Christina Louise
Humans are the most dangerous animal on this planet. I feel really pity on those animals.