Stop Injecting Lab Animals With Toxic Chemicals

Target: Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader

Goal: Grant mice, rats, birds, fish, and reptiles the same standard of care as other animals used in experimental testing facilities.

The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) is a federal law in the United States that seeks to uphold minimum standards of care and treatment for animals used in experimental settings, transported commercially, or kept or bred in zoos. This law pertains to the maintenance of proper housing, handling, sanitation, food, water, and veterinary care for all animals protected under its act and is the only federal law in place in the U.S. to regulate the treatment of animals used in research. Among the animals covered by the AWA are dogs, cats, rabbits, nonhuman primates, marine mammals, and captive wildlife used in nonagricultural research. While these aforementioned animals only receive minimal, loosely regulated federal protections, there are some animals, still, that receive no protections at all.

While there have been amendments made to the AWA since it was initially introduced in 1966, lawmakers have failed to extend the rights outlined in this legislation to all animals. Mice, rats, birds, fish, and reptiles make up an overwhelming 95% of the animals tested upon in experimental settings. However, these animals are explicitly excluded from the AWA and are, therefore, not afforded the same protection as others currently covered by this act. As a result, these animals are left without any standard for proper treatment, and are at the liberty of their handlers who view them as subjects for scientific discovery, rather than as sentient beings.

Animals in testing facilities are subjected to all kinds of horrors. They are forcibly exposed to or injected with toxic chemicals, drugs, or infectious diseases that can result in extremely painful deaths. In addition, they may be physically restrained for prolonged periods of time, genetically and physically manipulated, and intentionally wounded or inflicted with medical illnesses. For us to deny them of even a minimum standard of care is downright inhumane. Sign this petition to demand that the animals currently excluded from the Animal Welfare Act receive the same coverage as those that are protected under the act.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Senator Schumer,

The Animal Welfare Act is designed to set a federal minimum standard of care for animals used in research and is the sole piece of legislation protecting the rights of testing animals throughout the entire U.S.. While protections afforded under this act are few and far between, many animals are intentionally excluded from coverage altogether.

Even though mice, rats, birds, fish, and reptiles make up the majority of animals tested upon–a mind-boggling 95%–there are no laws in place outlining the maintenance of proper housing, handling, sanitation, food, water, or veterinary care for them. As a result, these animals are subject to maltreatment even before they are ever tested on. No current legal mandates require a reduction or alleviation of the pain experienced by these animals and, so, they intensely feel the deliberate shocks, painful incisions, physical manipulations, intentionally inflicted wounds, and other terrors done unto them by heartless experimenters.

All animals are capable of suffering. We are asking you, Mr. Schumer, to please extend the Animal Welfare Act to protect all species of animals.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Aaron Logan