I am responding here to clear up a post of mine.  I recently joined the FML
(within the last week).  I came upon a post in my first digest, a response
to another post which I had never seen.  I saw a statement saying that lab
tests are not all fatal.
 
\ have two degrees and 15 years of (clinical) medical research experience.
My response to the post was simply to state that at present, all animals
used for lab tests (with rare exception) are killed/euthanized afterwards.
In that respect, participation in lab testing is fatal to the animals
involved.  I *never* said anything with respect to the lab tests themselves
and how animals are treated and never attempted to quantify what percent of
lab tests in and of themselves are lethal/deadly to the animals involved.
I regret any misunderstanding based my ignorance of the content of the
original post.
 
There was no viewpoint or ethical argument intended to be presented or
countered.  I simply presented a fact as I saw it.  I never qualified it
or quantified it beyond that, nor did I ever intend for it to cause such
hostility.  I was not trying to start an animal rights debate on this
forum.
 
Ironically, the truth is millions of lab animals (including ferrets) are
born and killed every year before they ever become part of research
studies; Animals are not bred after they are ordered, so there are millions
who die because the companies that produce them cannot ever predict the
'fads' within research with respect to which animals are used.  This
includes hundreds upon thousands of ferrets ...bred and killed every year
without ever having been ordered or used for research.  I mention this not
to support any particular ethical stance.  I mention this as it relates to
ferrets, research and 'lethality' of research and it represents a large
populatioin of ferrets who are neither potentially ill, carrying diseases
or full of dangerous drugs (questions regarding their adoptability in a
subsequent post)
 
Once again, please refer to my original post and read it in light of
someone who was reading their first FML posting and had no knowledge of any
other post.
 
If my facts are in dispute, feel free to comment.  IF my views are up for
discussion, please email me directly.  I do not wish to have any such
discussions on such a wonderful ferret forum as this.
 
Sincerely
 
M. Michaela Maurice
Ohio State University
College of Veterinary Medicine
Class of 2002
[Posted in FML issue 2761]