We are supporting 110 cross-party MPs who are signed last session’s EDM 175 which has just been re-tabled as EDM 278: Public scientific hearing on animal experiments – Early Day Motions – UK Parliament
The EDM calls on the Government to mandate a public scientific hearing, about about the continued practice of using animal models to try and predict what will happen in human patients. Highly trained scientific experts now show that this still mainstream method of medical research is not just misleading for human patients, but in fact entirely harmful to the effective path of human medical knowledge causing real harm and fatalities.
What makes Parliamentary EDM 278 so important?
The conditions for this science hearing have been endorsed as “well set out and fair” by Britain’s leading human rights defence barrister Michael Mansfield QC. A panel of judges will decide the outcome of the hearing, including experts from the fields of clinical medicine, complexity/chaos theory, philosophy of science, evolutionary biology, clinical research, drug development, and basic research. The hearing’s conditions are specifically designed to achieve a scientific result which can be submitted as evidence in a wider legal action as well as to government bodies, in order to change now demonstrably outdated laws. The significance of this is in sharp contrast to the more casual ‘vote on line’ or show of hands at the end of previous debates, which all too often even muddle science and morality.
The hearing is on its way!
Scientists from the animal model community are represented by a public relations company called ‘Understanding Animal Research’ (UAR) which has repeatedly agreed to participate in this hearing, organised by the science-based campaign For Life On Earth. However, UAR still have not been able to provide the name of their main speaker for this event, which is delaying the hearing indefinitely. As finding effective cures and saving lives is the issue, we are astonished why their problem is not one of too many names, rather than none at all. Additionally, UAR doubt the feasibility of ‘providing all the information to be heard in advance as well as verifying all references that may be used, before the hearing’. We find this shocking not just because providing a position paper, complete with references, is absolutely integral to any serious scientific discourse, but also because such delay, as long as it continues, in effect demonstrates nothing less than a callous disregard for the suffering of human patients who live with frightening and painful, life threatening illnesses as an every day reality.
Please ask your MP to sign EDM 278 – and support members of Parliament calling for its rigorous science hearing. Simply visit this link to type in your postcode and ask your MP to sign the EDM today!