pg. 2--You Paid For It
by Brenda Shoss
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Animals cannot predict how we will react to a disease, drug or surgery. Every species is so anatomically, physiologically, immunologically, genetically and even psychologically different from another, it is impossible to reliably extrapolate animal data to humans. Mice produce about 100 times more cancer-fighting vitamin C than humans, an oversight which led Dr. Richard Klausner of the National Institute of Cancer to conclude: "We have cured mice of cancer for decades--and it simply didn't work in humans."

For every animal who dies in a laboratory, there is a humane alternative to use in his or her place. But until in vitro cell/tissue cultures; cloned human cells; virtual and manufactured organs; computer and three-dimensional models; diagnostic scans and many more non-animal options receive ample funding--they will languish on paper.

So the next time you find yourself in a rant over wasteful government spending, write a letter to your federal legislators. Ask them to increase funds for non-animal research that directly impacts human health. Who knows? With enough money for studies that apply to the human species, somebody might cure cancer in humans--instead of mice.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1. Ask your federal Senators and Representatives to:

• Extend the minimum protections established under the Animal Welfare Act to include rats, mice, birds and all species.
• Request that Animal Welfare Act regulations ban the use of electric shock, food/water deprivation, and extreme confinement and restraint devices.
• Conduct a General Accounting Office (GAO) audit of the NIH for duplication and waste within the animal experimentation system.
• Propose funding for the development and validation of non-animal research alternatives.

The Honorable _________________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
202-224-3121 www.house.gov

Senator ________________________
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
202-224-3121 www.senate.gov

2. Contact Stop Animal Exploitation NOW! (SAEN) for more information.
SAEN: PMB 280, 1081 B Street, Route 28, Milford, OH 45150, 513-575-5517
saen@worldnet.att.net

END

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