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One of Britain’s leading antivivisection organisations has launched
a new campaign to attack medical charities that fund research on animals.
Up to now antivivisectionists have concentrated on research with no direct
clinical application.

The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection attacks 35 major
charities – including the British Heart Foundation, the Arthritis and Rheumatism
Council, the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and the Cancer Research Campaign
– saying that their ‘reliance on animal experiments is wasting time, money
and lives’. Steve McIvor, BUAV’s campaign director, said: ‘We urge everyone
to think before they give.’ The BUAV’s report also describes specific research
projects in 15 universities, including medical schools.

The BUAV’s report is ‘misinformed propaganda,’ said John Galloway, of
the Cancer Research Campaign. ‘People have got to be reminded it is impossible
to improve treatments for cancer without doing experiments on animals.’
Advances in cell culture techniques and molecular biology have enable the
CRC’s Institute of Cancer Research to cut animal experiments by 80 per cent
over the past seven years.

David Morton, professor of the new department of biomedical sciences
and ethics at the University of Birmingham, said: ‘The focus on medical
research in animals could help the general public realise if you’re going
to study the major human diseases and test the safety and efficacu of new
drugs and treatments, you have to do this kind of research. The BUAV’s campaign
might backfire, leading to a reduction in contributions to antivivisectionist
³¦²¹³Ü²õ±ð.’