Ideas for Change: End Chimpanzee Experiments

by Stephanie Feldstein · 2010-03-02 12:00:00 UTC
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This week, I'm blogging about each of the three Animals ideas that made it to the final round of the Ideas for Change competition. You have until March 12 to vote for up to ten ideas. The top ten will be presented to members of the Obama administration and will become the focus of grassroots campaigns to help turn each idea into a reality.

Today's Featured Idea: End Chimpanzee Experiments, Pass the Great Ape Protection Act.

More than 1,000 chimpanzees live in research labs across the country, where they are exposed to cruel experiments, sensory deprivation, isolation, and inhumane living conditions. Since we're so closely related to these animals, it shouldn't be too hard for researchers to imagine their suffering. Yet the experiments continue.

While some scientists argue that our close relation to chimpanzees and other primates make them useful in medical research, others, such as the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine disagree. According to PCRM, there are vast — and important — differences between humans and other primates at the molecular level, where diseases need to be studied and treated. This means chimpanzee research isn't really much help in addressing human illnesses.

The U.S. is the only nation that still uses great apes in large scale, invasive research. Humane research is on the rise, and we're lagging behind the scientific and moral standards of the rest of the world. Stopping chimpanzee experiments would be a simple, logical way for us to start catching up.

The Great Ape Protection Act was introduced in Congress last year. This legislation would phase out chimpanzee experiments, release federally-owned chimpanzees to sanctuaries, and end federal funding for chimpanzee research breeding programs. This legislation is long overdue.

Vote to End Chimpanzee Experiments, Pass the Great Ape Protection Act.

Photo credit: Velovotee

Stephanie Feldstein is a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.

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