Why These Scientists Stopped Testing on Animals
#IStoppedYouCanToo
“PLEASE STOP.”
It’s a plea that comes in a shriek, a scream, or silent agony from the animals used in experiments. Most experimenters choose to ignore it—because they’ve been taught to, their ambition to publish overrides it, or they fear changing careers.
These are the stories of those who have not only heard the plea and examined the science but also acted on it. These are the stories, told in their own words, of scientists who know why we must stop testing on animals.
“I felt ethically compromised and morally soiled by the process—and that I really wanted out.”
—Tom Poulton, M.D.
“As we continue to understand who these animals are, what their lives are like, what their interests are, their preferences, the way in which they express their autonomy, it’s become more and more obvious …. There’s gotta be another way to do this work.”
—John Gluck, Ph.D.
“How long have we fought the war on cancer? How long have we fought other medical issues? And we’re not coming up with the answers as rapidly as any of us would like. And I think that’s in large part due to the fact that we’re using the wrong models for our experimentation.”
—Don Barnes
“This was the method being used by my department back then, and I thought it was normal, not realizing that there could have been alternatives to using animals.”
—Pilar Vinardell, Ph.D.
“It was only years later that I began to regret what I had done.”
—Paul Gazda
“It’s time for us scientists to rethink this practice—and to end it.”
—Bob Ingersoll
“I chose to leave the field altogether when I realized that rather than helping animals through my research, I was directly contributing to their suffering. That’s why I stopped, and you can, too.” #IStoppedYouCanToo
—Drae Solberg