Right now, in laboratories across the United States, millions of animals are used in experiments — imprisoning, isolating, painful, invasive, deadly experiments — and ultimately unreliable in predicting human outcomes.
Despite industry reliance on animal models in research and testing, we know that the vast majority of drugs and treatments that appear “successful” in animals fail when tested on people. The result? Wasted time, wasted resources, wasted taxpayer dollars, and — worst of all — the ongoing harm and senseless deaths of millions upon millions of animals right here in the U.S.
But the good news? There’s hope.
And the better news? There’s something you can do about it.
The Humane and Existing Alternatives in Research and Testing Sciences Act of 2025 (“HEARTS Act of 2025”) (H.R. 1291) is legislation that has the power to accelerate a long-overdue shift toward human-relevant science.
This bill aims to require that, in all research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), nonanimal testing methods be prioritized when feasible. It also seeks to establish a National Center for Alternatives, and mandate improved reporting of animal use across federally-funded research.
So, why should our elected officials support the HEARTS Act?
Animal experimentation is, of course, wholly unethical and should be abolished regardless of any supposed “benefits” to people.
But there are other commonsense reasons to support the HEARTS Act of 2025, too:
- Animal models fail to consistently predict outcomes in people, contributing to enormous failure rates in human clinical trials. The Hearts Act would help accelerate the adoption of human-relevant research methods (i.e., organoids, AI modeling, computational simulations, etc.) that can improve translational success, reduce waste, and reward innovation — all while saving animals from exploitation, pain, and death in laboratories.
- The U.S. currently lacks a meaningful system to track how many animals are actually used in research. The HEARTS Act would improve reporting and accountability of the animal research industry, which is notoriously secretive.
The HEARTS Act will only move forward if lawmakers feel the pressure from their constituents — that’s people like you.
The animal research industry is money-driven, deeply entrenched, and ultra powerful — and they want to keep the status quo. But, together, we can push for change that saves animals’ lives and advances human health.
Your call to action: Tell your members of Congress to support the HEARTS Act! Together, we can save animals from experimentation while supporting human-relevant science.
Maximize your impact for animals in labs by inspiring others to take action, too!
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actionnetwork.org/letters/hearts-act-2025