Abuse of animals

Press, 8 March 1988, Page 12

Abuse of animals

Sir, —The foundation of the American organisation “Incurably 11l for Animal Research” (article, February 23), is a laughable anachronism, given vivisection’s track record in producing medical disasters. The inherent philosophy in the LI.F.A.R. founder’s comment — that the terminally ill are not philosophising but are dealing with the reality of cure-finding — is that if one condones unlimited animal torture for a hypothetical advantage to oneself, one is probably equally willing to let human beings suffer for such a hypothetical advantage. The philosophy that, after all, some good may come of it for oneself some day, puts the moral sense of vivisection’s proponents at about the same level as their scientific knowledge. Animal vivisection does, in fact, lead inevitably to human experimentation, the field of heart transplantation being a patent example. The founder also states “No animal worshipper is terminally ill.” Antivivisectionists’ comparative health is probably due to their avoidance of medications obtained through animal experimentation. — Yours, etc.,

V. F. SANDS. March 3, 1988.