[Moderator's note: Please keep animal testing posts directly related
to ferrets. This is a reply to a ferret-related post but responses to
this should likewise be ferret-related. BIG]

So what Vicki and others are asking me to do, is to allow children to
be given vaccines, medicines, and other medical treatments that may or
may not hurt/maim/kill them as they have not been tested on other
living creatures before any human children recieves those treatments?
What are the alternatives to animal testing that are safe and effective
to protect our lives, and our childrens lives? *Nothing*. Computer
models and tissue testing cannot begin to approach the complexity of
the human system There are unexpected side effects even with animal
testing, called idiopathic effects. What that means is that even with
testing and trials things happen with no ability to be predicted and no
discenible reason for why they happen. Animal testing allows science to
cut down on the incidences of this in humans, but not eliminate it.

It sounds laudible and wonderful to ban the animal testing completely,
but it will never happen no matter how many petitions you waste you
time writing or signing at this state in our technology..

I will confidently state that animals should be respected and not used
for cosmetics/colorants and other testing. We have perfectlyy useful
products now that do just about everything we need, and they really
should not be putting chemicals that need to be tested in
soaps/shampoos/colorants/cosmetics. They are full of crud, carcinogens,
mutagens and poisons now, and it is just corporate america trying to
find cheaper ways to make a buck off us. (If you want to be very
scared, try Googling "Toxins in personal care products")

In closing, some animal testing is critically important to the health
and safety of ourselves, and our children. It will remain until a
viable process can be developed to replace it, and animals will have
to be tested just to determint that viability.

Wasteful and wanton testing in place of a few dollars is a waste of
life, and not needed and I heartily support banning any animal testing
that is not absoutley necessary to cure/prevent/treat human illness and
disease.

Thanks!

Ken
RN Student

[Posted in FML 7172]