Testing on Apes "needed" says Top Scientist

The head of the Medical Research Council (MRC), Professor Colin Blakemore has said that the UK might “need” to test on Apes.

The government said in 1997 that it wouldn’t approve testing on Apes because they were too similar too humans. This is partly Blakemore’s argument as well. He says that is exactly why you may need to test on apes.

I am sickened by animal testing. I feel that science is on the wrong track. This might be a very controversial statement, but this manic obsession by scientists to cure everything is actually leading to our downfall. There are currently more than 6 billion people on the planet. This is expected to double again in the next 150 years. Orang-Utan’s on the other hand are expected to be extinct within the next 20 years if current trends aren’t reversed.

If testing is so vital then why don’t we test more on humans. None of this testing has any benefit to animals. In fact it is detrimental – it keeps more unhealthy people alive leaving less resources for wildlife. Animal testing – even if it helps me or my own child – is fundamentally wrong.

The MRC is a national organisation funded by the UK taxpayer. As such, I think the UK taxpayer has the right to stop them from testing on animals. I urge readers of this blog to let them know how you feel, like I have done below:

Dear Sir/Madam

This email is in response to your support of ape testing.

Although I don’t dispute that testing on animals have scientific merit, I think that in the world today testing on anything other than people is not appropriate. I feel that science is on the wrong track.

Surely by trying to cure everything you’re diminshing the natural selection process; making a world full of unhealthy people. And lots of them. There are currently more than 6 billion people on the planet. This is expected to double again in the next 150 years. Orang-Utan’s on the other hand are expected to be extinct within the next 20 years if current trends aren’t reversed. It is pretty clear that the biggest challenge facing Homo Sapiens today is not cognitive diseases, heart failure or even HIV. It is over population.

If testing is so vital then why don’t we test more on humans. None of this testing has any benefit to animals. In fact it is detrimental – it keeps more unhealthy people alive leaving less resources for wildlife. We need more wildlife; we don’t need more people.

Your way might be emotionally appealing to some, but if you look at it from a different perspective it is running us into the ground.

Regards,

Adam Heunis