Roberta Kalechofsky:
"Researchers always ask, 'Do
you want to save your dog or
your baby?' Why does it have
to be one or the other'?"

receive, though it does not
limit experimentation or
prohibit the withholding of
anesthetics. Federal regula-
tions, adopted in the late
1980s, calling for improved
cage size and conditions (in-
cluding air conditioning) for
research animals cost
laboratories about $500
million.
The most recent survey of
research facilities, con-
ducted in 1985 by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture,
showed that 94 percent of
animals used in experimen-
tation felt no pain.
Animnl rights activists are
not impressed. Linda Gale
said she does not believe
researchers' claims that
some animal experimenta-
tion is inevitable. Mrs.
Kalechofsky compares
biomedical research to
slavery. Slave owners also
insisted they had to have
slaves, that no alternative
existed, she said.
Murry Cohen, a
psychiatrist, is head of the
New York-based Medical
Modernization Committee,
an advocacy group whose
members believe biomedical
research is scientifically in-
valid.
"The argument that ex-
perimenting on animals is
the only approach to medical
research is absolute
hogwash," Dr. Cohen said.
"In fact, I can think of a
million examples where
animal research has actu-
ally set back finding cures
for diseases."
Dr. Cohen argues that be-
cause animal and human life
is so different, the results of
tests on one group cannot be
considered viable for the se-
cond.

"You can't cure heart
diseases by testing dogs be-
cause dogs don't get heart
disease," he said.
Dr. Cohen, who also is ac-
tive in fighting for animal
rights, said he had once been
"a staunch defender of vivi-
section (animal experimen-
tation). I would have called
someone like me crazy."
Then he read Animal Lib-
eration, "and nothing has
been the same since." The
whole concept of biomedical
research is "one big sham,"
he said.
Animals are popular sub-
jects for medical research for
several reasons, Dr. Cohen
said. First, many resear-
chers simply "don't know
anything else." Second, ex-
perimentation means big
profits for everyone from the
workers to the cage-makers.
Third, "there is a tremen-
dous pressure to publish in
the medical world. And
there's no easier way to do
that than by experimenting

"You can't cure
heart diseases by
testing dogs
because dogs
don't get heart
disease.,"
Dr. Murry Cohen

on animals. You take a bun-
ch of rats and say, 'Let's see
what happens when their
tails get burned and then
you set off an alarm.' There,
you have a paper."
Dr. Cohen believes animal
research could be replaced
tomorrow by current
medical tools, such as
clinical studies and post-
mortem exams, and by
preventative medicine. If
humans simply took care of
themselves — stopped smok-
ing, ate well, exercised —
"we could decrease disease
by an astronomical
amount."
Among the most con-
troversial anti-vivisection
groups is ALF, the Animal
Liberation Front, founded in
1979.
In the past 10 years, ALF
and other such organizations
have committed more than
70 illegal acts against
research clinics, resulting in
$10 million worth of
damage. The National In-
stitutes of Health calls these
groups "a definite threat to
biomedical research."
Rabbi J. David Bleich, the
leading Jewish authority on
bioethics and professor of
law and ethics at Yeshiva

University's Benjamin Car-
dozo School of Law, ad-
dresses the issue of animal
experimentation in his book
Judaism and Healing. Ac-
cording to Rabbi Bleich,
"Judaism knows nothing of
anti-vivisection statutes."
Judaism certainly forbids
animal "cruelty for its own
sake or for the sake of
sport," he writes. But
"scientific experiments upon
laboratory animals designed
to yield information of
potential benefit to mankind
are sanctioned by Jewish
law as legitimate utilization
of animals for the tangible
benefit of mankind."
Thirty-eight-year-old Joel
Berger of New York has
diabetes. Two years ago he
suffered a heart attack, the
direct result of his illness.
"Without animal testing,
not only the disease I have
but a number of diseases will
see no progress toward a
cure," Mr. Berger said.
Today, Mr. Berger is a
member of iiFAR, the
Incurably Ill For Animal
Research. The national
organization comprises men,
women and children with
AIDS, cancer, multiple
sclerosis, Parkinson's
disease and other
debilitating ailments, all of
whom support biomedical
research.
IiFAR offers a $5,000
reward for information on

Linda Gale:
"Maybe years ago people
thought it was strange when I
talked about animal rights. It's
not a fringe group anymore."

PETA has numerous photos showing animals used in
experimentation. PETA Director Ingrid Newkirk believes "A rat is a
pig is a dog is a boy."

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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