Arizona Mulls Exemption To Animal Cruelty Law
5 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // February 3rd, 2010 // 7:41 am
Arizona is moving closer to excluding federally regulated research facilities from animal cruelty laws after a state Senate committee voted 4-to-3 in favor of a bill that would provide an exemption. The bill, 1159, would exclude both animal toxicology assessment and scientific experimentation, The Arizona Republic notes.
You may recall that Covance, the big contract research organization, opened a facility in Arizona amid vociferous protest from animal rights groups (background). And Stephanie Nichols-Young, president of the Animal Defense League of Arizona, says Covance is lobbying in support of the bill. “Covance is new to our community and very different from the labs that have been in our state for decades,” she tells the paper. “Why would you give up this right for a huge facility coming in when you don’t know what you’re going to get?”
Given that more than 40 states have an exemption for scientific experiments, Jeff Morhet InNexus Biotechnology ceo Jeff Morhet tells the paper that by “harmonizing” state and federal laws, companies would be able to lower costs and speed development of new meds. Covance spokeswoman Camilla Strongin says the bill won’t have a huge impact on the CRO but it could help the state. “It would show that Arizona is becoming more sophisticated when it comes to biosciences,” she tells the paper.
harpy
Funny how allowing animal cruelty is equated with being “more sophisticated.” Do you think they play a Katzenklavier at their big sales meetings?
patrons99
This is an important issue. Better to have a tightly regulated exemption to permit certain research studies on animal models of human disease, than to use our kids, parents, or the Third World as guinea pigs. Just one doc’s opinion.
patrons99
We love our pets, by the way. Man’s best friend should not be test subjects for pharma, except perhaps where they would otherwise have been euthanized at the pound.
harpy
riiiiight - but you see, Covance isn’t doing it for their benefit - witness “Camilla Strongin spoke on behalf of Covance. She said the bill won’t have a huge impact on Covance but it could help the state.” They’re lobbying for this law to benefit Arizona. See what they’re doing there?
Although I appreciate you make an exception for pets, excuse me, dogs - well, but for the ones that are gonna be trashed anyway.
patrons99
Harpy, yes, I see the point you are making. Covance’s and Arizona’s motives do seem impure. But, generally speaking, how could there ever be any clinical research without preclinical toxicology studies in animal models? In university labs? In government labs?
Even in the area of veterinary medicine, where I would argue that guidelines for use of vaccines and antibiotics need to be reevaluated from scratch, it seems to me that at least some regulated research with animals may be warranted for the greater good. We are talking about the food supply and zoonoses here.
Is there the potential for mischief by CRO’s seeking exemptions for research of this type? Of course there is. Personally, I believe that there are many areas of biotech research which should be completely banned globally.
I am strongly of the opinion that strict governmental oversight is necessary for ALL biotech research, to avoid laboratory accidents, accidental laboratory “releases”, and ethical transgressions. Where is that regulatory oversight going to come from??? The WHO? CDC? Individual states?