Tens of millions of animals are used annually in the United States to test drugs, cosmetics, and other household items. Dozens of species are used in experiments, with the majority of them having been bred for the purpose.
Tens of thousands of dogs and cats will be used for such experiments today alone. The majority of these animals are killed at the end of the experiments if they live to the completion of the study.
It doesn’t have to be this way. The Beagle Freedom Bill requires that taxpayer-funded animal testing laboratories that use dogs and cats for research purposes must put them up for adoption at the end of their experiments. The bill is named after beagles because they are the breed most often used in research since they are unlikely to bite when being harmed.
This common-sense legislation has passed and been signed into law in California, Washington, New York, Oregon, Connecticut, Minnesota, Illinois, Nevada, Maryland, Delaware, and Rhode Island. It has now been introduced at the federal level as the Humane Retirement Act by Rep. Kathleen Rice, a Democrat from New York. There is no justifiable reason to prevent this important legislation from becoming federal law.
In September 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a memorandum calling for the agency to make the reduction of animal testing a priority. EPA’s memorandum calls for the agency to reduce funding of mammal studies by 30% by 2025 and to eliminate all mammal study funding by 2035.
Both the Beagle Freedom Bill and the EPA’s memorandum are great steps toward reducing and ending animal testing. There is absolutely no reason to test shampoo, toothpaste, lipstick, and other cosmetics on animals as ingredients that are known to be safe can be used. The Food and Drug Administration does not require the use of animals in cosmetic testing.
Researchers attempting to combat human diseases genetically manipulate mice, but human and mouse genes obviously behave differently. Ninety percent of drugs that test safe and effective in animals later fail in human clinical trials. Studies using human cells and computer models are more compassionate, and these methods are also proving to be more effective.
There have been numerous other recent wins for animals at the national level.
In December 2018, President Trump signed the “Dog and Cat Meat Prohibition Act” into law. Prior to that, it had still been legal in 44 states to eat cats and dogs. The law prohibits the sale and transportation of animals for the “purpose of slaughter for human consumption.” The law is also part of an effort to encourage the end of the dog and cat meat trade in China, South Korea, Vietnam, and Nagaland state in India, where the practice is still fairly common.
In November 2019, Trump signed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, which criminalizes certain acts of animal cruelty under federal law.
And in December 2019, Trump signed into law an omnibus funding package with multiple wins for animals. The law requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to resume the online posting of all inspection reports and enforcement records under the Animal Welfare Act and Horse Protection Act in their entirety. The law also provides a $40 million increase for alternatives to animal research and renews the prohibition against the USDA using funds to license Class B random source dealers who are known for trafficking in dogs and cats obtained through theft for animal testing.
This law also has language that directs the National Institutes of Health to report to Congress on alternatives to reduce and replace primates in biomedical research, and it dedicates funds to combat the transnational threat of wildlife poaching and illicit wildlife trafficking.
Animal advocates have had a lot to celebrate in the last few years. But if we can put an end to animal testing, we will have accomplished a great deal more.
Ryan Moore is a writer, songwriter, and social media strategist. Ryan has adopted a cat and three rabbits who were victims of animal testing and a dog rescued from a puppy mill that was shut down. He is @RyanMoore.
