There could be no more fitting day than National Animal Advocacy Day to share this:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) – the largest bankroller of animal experimentation in the U.S. and abroad – has just announced a new initiative to “expand innovative, human-based science while reducing animal use in research.”
This is something you and we have been fighting for, for ages. And now, finally, the door is cracked open.
As NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya put it:
For decades, our biomedical research system has relied heavily on animal models. With this initiative, NIH is ushering in a new era of innovation.
The NIH’s plans are wide-ranging. They include launching a new office to coordinate efforts across the agency to “develop, validate and scale” “non-animal approaches”; increasing funding for human-relevant science; boosting training and accessibility for researchers; and confronting the systemic bias toward animal methods in the grant review process.
The NIH describes its announcement as marking “a critical leap forward for science, public trust, and patient care”, and it is – but we must ensure that ethics and justice join innovation and efficiency.
Because buried in the same statement is an all-too familiar, troubling refrain: that “traditional animal models continue to be vital to advancing scientific knowledge”.
There it is. The most fundamental lie.
So, yes, this is a huge deal. Yes, we’re hopeful. Yes, we’re celebrating. But we’re also steeling our resolve, because the lab cages are far from empty.
This is a critical and hard-fought opening. One we must rush toward. And one we must push far wider.
Your call to action: Tell your members of Congress to pass the SPARE Act, a bill that, if passed into law, would prevent federal funding of animal research.