Last week, White Coat Waste Project exposed how the government is spending your tax money to conduct wasteful cosmetics tests on animals. Now, we’ve also found that the National Toxicology Program is planning more deadly, unreliable and expensive poisoning tests on mice and rats for several herbal supplements–including dong quai and Black cohosh–marketed as treatments for menstrual cramps and erectile dysfunction, and that are reportedly also used to induce “herbal abortions.” The tests include force-feeding large doses of the herbs to pregnant animals and then killing them and dissecting their fetuses to measure any birth defects.

The Weekly Standard first reported on the development, and the story was picked up by the influential Drudge Report. The revelations sparked outcry from animal advocates, budget hawks and pro-life activists, alike, with Americans United for Life tweeting it out, and Family Research Council’s Ken Blackwell tweeting, “This must be stopped!”

Taxpayers Funding Animal Tests for Homemade Abortions… https://t.co/dwfQMhXony

— DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) June 29, 2017

WCW adviser Alyssa Hackbarth appeared on Catholic news network EWTN to discuss the issue and her Weekly Standard article

If you haven’t yet, urge your Congress members to support the FACT Act to increase transparency and accountability about government efforts to reduce and replace wasteful animal tests.