AEGiS-GMHC: TREATMENT BRIEFS: Animal Rights and AIDS Research

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1992. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

TREATMENT BRIEFS: Animal Rights and AIDS Research

TREATMENT ISSUES, Volume 6, Number 9 - October 1992; The Gay Men's Health Crisis Newsletter of Experimental Therapies
David Gold

Efforts by animal rights extremists to halt all medical research using animals may have a substantial impact on research into promising AIDS therapies and vaccines. Among the tactics used by these groups have been harassment of researchers and arson, bombings, and vandalization of research labs. The American Association of Medical Colleges has recorded over 3,700 incidents of harassment of researchers by animal rights extremists. Ingrid Newkirk, founder of one of the most active animal rights groups, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), has stated publicly that "Even if animal research resulted in a cure for AIDS we would be against it" (Vogue, September, 1989) and "Six million Jews died in concentrations camps, but six million broiler chickens will die this year in slaughterhouses" (Washington Post, 1983). In this writer's view, there are some legitimate points to the animal rights movement. However, the campaign of terror that has been directed at researchers and laboratories working to develop safe and effective treatments and vaccines for life-threatening conditions affecting men, women, and children around the world, is dangerous and should be publicly renounced by all who call themselves animal or human rights advocates. For more information call Americans for Medical Progress at (703) 486-1411.

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