PETA (Letter to Time, 2008)

In light of their recent terrorist activity against some of our best scientists (e.g. The Animal Research War, by Drs. P. Michael Conn and James V. Parker), I am quite disappointed that you would allow such a forum for Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA. Contrary to what most uneducated people think, the views of PETA are quite unusual and extremely harmful. For example, on their webpage one can easily find them pushing to end all animal experimentation. In fact, they say "...animals differ from humans significantly, making animal drug tests unreliable and dangerous...computer models, cell cultures, and human studies are more accurate." Not only is this inaccurate in many ways (computer models and cell cultures are far less accurate in many ways ), it is also dangerous. Furthermore, scientists use those techniques and only use animal models to answer those questions (and safety concerns) that other models cannot.

PETA has not only been involved in terrorizing our top scientists, but their agenda is nonsensical. In the push for no animal experimentation, they forget that: 1) institutions are already in place that make sure experimentation is rigorously regulated and serves great purpose, 2) while we know different animals are different from humans in different ways, they come much closer than cells in a dish! Who among us would like to be first in line for a drug that has never been tested in a living mammal? 3) the Nuremberg Code (drawn up after the atrocities of WWII) and the Declaration of Helsinki both declare that human experiments should be based on animal experimentation, and 4) all major medical treatments can be traced back to understanding gained from animal models.

I would assume that PETA members and supporters already know this and thus practice what they preach by declining all Medicine and Western Medical Procedures, which are all with us today because of animal experimentation. As an animal lover and animal researcher, I can tell you that I would rather discover how muscular dystrophy works in a canine model so that my son never has to experience it himself. Ingrid Newkirk herself has said that if animal research led to a cure for AIDs she would not be for it. She has championed a movement (PETA) that has now unleashed terrorist attacks against scientists who have devoted their lives to curing diseases.

I suggest that if Ingrid Newkirk truly feels the way she espouses, that humans are granted no special rights from other mammals, then perhaps she should do the following:
1) explain to our top scientists exactly how to cure diseases without animal models,
2) offer herself as a test subject for new medical treatment that has been tested in cell cultures and computer models but NOT in living animals, and
3) deny any medical treatment that is offered to her, as it is the result of decades of animal experimentation.

I have found in my career that like most things, people think they support PETA only until they are educated about how it all works. All of us are in favor of minimizing suffering in animals. It's just some of us believe that our children and loved ones are more important than other mammals. Unfortunately, it usually takes having a loved one fall very ill for this reality to set in.

TIME, I hope you merely didn't understand what Ms. Newkirk stood for when you featured her. If you did, then shame on you.I would love to write more, but I have to go feed my cats.