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FIRING LINE: Wynar is fraud How it hurts me to see animal research fanatics like Roahn Wynar spitting in the face of modern scientific progress, not to mention ethics. What Mr. Wynar fails to comprehend is that although numerous advances in medical technology were accomplished through the use of animals, that was because no alternatives were available. Modern science has developed a battalion of new tests -- such as the Ames test for carcinogens, sophisticated computer models that replicate human biological processes with 100 percent accuracy, and in vitro cultures -- that do not require the extrapolation of data from animals to humans. Think back a moment, Mr. Wynar. Remember Thalidomide? Your precious animal tests deemed it safe for pregnant women, yet it was pulled from the market after causing horrific birth defects throughout the world. Ever heard of penicillin? Good thing Alexander Fleming knew better than to waste his time on useless animal experiments, since penicillin poisons cats and guinea pigs. The key to curing cancer, tumors, and the like is clinical research. And the strongest advocates of this are doctors. Doctors are the ones who see cancer patients and poisoning victims on a daily basis. They know -- and many of them have written books to prove it -- that your animal research does little to benefit humans. If we ever hope to cure cancer and other fatal illnesses, we need to devote more time and money clinical research and advanced non-animal techniques. Apparently you haven't realized yet that 65 Nobel Prizes were awarded to animal researchers because no viable alternatives were available at that time. Now that we have sophisticated non-animal techniques that are more accurate and cruelty-free, why revert to using animals? Unfortunately, modern scientific advances have rendered them a thing of the past. Wake up and smell the coffee, Mr. Wynar. Animals do not exist solely for our convenience. Kerry Cumberland |