I absolutely agree. There is a push for more openness and transparency in animal research, it is a major initiative of the CCAC for rollout over the next 5 years. There is a lot of fear of animal rights activist groups and litigation or harassment from them that I think is generally unfounded - those incidents are pretty rare. Unfortunately, situations like this with Doug Ford only stoke the fear and protectionist attitudes that need to be broken down… now people in this field feel more targeted and scared and less likely to speak to the public. It’s very counterproductive.
There is a lot of fear of animal rights activist groups and litigation or harassment from them that I think is generally unfounded - those incidents are pretty rare.
I get the fear, but do also agree it feels unfounded. If farmers and slaughterhouses manage to get by, it seems like animal research labs should be able to too.
How is that fear unfounded when a politician can snap their fingers and target your research with this populist bullshit? There already is a process to ensure this research is justified. We shouldn’t allow political interference in science. It sets a horrible precedent and opens the door for worse. Ford’s actions undermine public trust in science, which is terrible (look south of the border).
That’s a terrible way to do it because you and me and 99.999% of the population are not qualified to make the decision about that and understand the very difficult but ethical rationale behind it.
I absolutely agree. There is a push for more openness and transparency in animal research, it is a major initiative of the CCAC for rollout over the next 5 years. There is a lot of fear of animal rights activist groups and litigation or harassment from them that I think is generally unfounded - those incidents are pretty rare. Unfortunately, situations like this with Doug Ford only stoke the fear and protectionist attitudes that need to be broken down… now people in this field feel more targeted and scared and less likely to speak to the public. It’s very counterproductive.
https://ccac.ca/en/animals-used-in-science/transparency/institutional-transparency.html
I get the fear, but do also agree it feels unfounded. If farmers and slaughterhouses manage to get by, it seems like animal research labs should be able to too.
How is that fear unfounded when a politician can snap their fingers and target your research with this populist bullshit? There already is a process to ensure this research is justified. We shouldn’t allow political interference in science. It sets a horrible precedent and opens the door for worse. Ford’s actions undermine public trust in science, which is terrible (look south of the border).
Giving beagle puppies 3 hr heart attacks and then killing them gives science a bad name.
If you’re going to do animal research you should be prepared to openly explain why it’s necessary.
That’s a terrible way to do it because you and me and 99.999% of the population are not qualified to make the decision about that and understand the very difficult but ethical rationale behind it.