A new bipartisan bill aims to prohibit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from subjecting certain animals to cruel experiments like mutilations and injections with infectious viruses.
- Beagle puppies were subjected to septic shock experiments that forced pneumonia bacteria into their lungs and bled them out.
- Kittens and puppies were bred specifically to undergo deadly experiments or suffer from debilitating genetic disorders.
- Abandoned pet hounds were rounded up and researchers strapped capsules filled with hungry sand flies on them with the insects feeding on the animals.
- Beagle puppies were injected with fentanyl and cocaine.
- In one experiment, kittens were crippled and forced to swallow balloons.
- Research was also conducted in foreign labs. For instance, in Russia, cats were crippled and forced to walk on treadmills.
“To ensure accountability and oversight, the bill includes provisions for regular reporting on the use of dogs and cats in NIH-conducted and funded research. This includes detailed information on ongoing and prospective research projects, their associated costs, efforts to phase out the use of animals, and the number of animals retired and adopted from research programs.”
In addition, the bill calls on the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a comprehensive study assessing NIH efforts to reduce and replace the use of cats and dogs for research purposes.
The bill points out multiple instances where the agency conducted research involving common pet animals even though alternative methods were available.
“As an animal lover, I’ve been disturbed to learn the scale and scope of barbaric and unnecessary dog and cat experiments funded by the National Institutes of Health,” said Ms. Mace.
“Americans across the political spectrum have been horrified to learn their tax dollars are being used to subsidize cruelty to thousands of puppies and kittens in labs every year. The PAAW Act will ensure taxpayers’ hard-earned money is not wasted on outdated and cruel experiments on pets.”
In an April 11 blog post, White Coat Waste Project (WCWP) welcomed the PAWW Act, noting that it is the “first bill ever introduced by Congress to completely defund painful NIH testing on dogs and cats!”
Legal Action Against Experiments
Lawmakers have already started to take action against experimentation on cats and dogs using federal funds.According to WCWP, this was the first time in American history that Congress enacted a bill instructing an agency to cease all activities involving experimentation on specific animals. Back in 2018, Congress restricted such activities but shied away from banning them outright.
The letter asked the agency to provide more information about NIH spending on experiments conducted on cats and dogs in fiscal year 2023.
They also enquired about the specific efforts and initiatives taken by the NIH to reduce experimentation on these animals. “Has the NIH met with the FDA to discuss how it can avoid the use of dogs and cats in contracts for drug safety testing?”
The group obtained documents from NIAID showing that the agency spent $13.5 million on tests in which the monkeys were injected with infectious diseases like Ebola and the Lassa virus which causes organ failure, brain damage, hemorrhaging, and loss of motor control.
In many of these experiments, researchers “intentionally withhold pain relief, even though these are some of the most excruciating experiments in the federal government,” Justin Goodman, vice president of advocacy and public policy for the WCWP told The Epoch Times.
