PROGRESS: U.S. House directs NIH to reduce primate testing

Posted by Justin Goodman
19 June 2019 | Blog


UPDATE (6/19/19): Following WCW advocacy, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the 2020 NIH spending bill that, among other things, directs the agency to provide a plan for the reduction of its primate testing and the retirement of monkeys. The Senate will consider the legislation this summer.

ORIGINAL POST (5/7/19)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) spends more tax money to abuse more primates in wasteful experiments than any other federal agency, and it wants to spend even more. But, thanks to WCW, Congressional leaders, and the majority of Americans that oppose this waste and abuse, that’s about to change.

As reported by the Washington Examiner, IJR, Nature and others, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee has just passed its 2020 NIH spending bill which includes language (see pages 111-112) directing the NIH to develop a plan and timeline for the reduction and replacement of its primate experiments, and primates’ retirement to sanctuaries. The measure was championed by senior committee member Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) following discussions with WCW and an avalanche of calls and emails to Congress and NIH from over 1 million WCW supporters. For more than two decades, Rep. Roybal-Allard has long been a national leader on efforts to end testing on primates, which earned her WCW’s Waste Warrior Award in 2016.

This is the first time in history that Congress has directed a federal agency to curb all taxpayer-funded primate testing and retire the animals. In 2015, after pressure from Rep. Roybal-Allard and others, the NIH defunded chimpanzee testing after determining it was wasteful and unnecessary, and we’re working to do the same to all NIH primate experiments. 

Federal documents analyzed by WCW show that from 2013 to 2018, the NIH’s internal primate use averaged about 7,000 animals each year, including experiments on baboons, marmosets, macaques and other species.


During the same six-year period, the NIH’s abuse of primates in painful testing rose by a troubling 73 percent.  Specifically, the number of primates used in painful tests with pain relief rose by 58 percent and NIH’s use of primates in horrific “maximum pain” experiments where no pain relief is provided rose by a disturbing 370 percent.

The NIH recently spent taxpayers’ money on primate experiments including:

  • destroying areas of monkeys’ brains so that they can no longer recognize faces
  • infecting monkeys with HIV-like viruses that cause massive weight loss, major organ failure, and death
  • implanting electrodes into monkeys’ skulls, placing metal coils in their eyes, and locking them in restraint chairs to watch computer screens before killing them and dissecting their brains
  • exposing monkeys to the Ebola virus, causing pain, fever, vomiting, bleeding, and death


For years, WCW has fought to stop all government primate testing most recently ending $5.5 million nicotine addiction tests on primates at the Food and Drug Administration, which prompted lawmakers to urge FDA to curb the practice overall. WCW’s #GiveThemBack campaign has also been pushing all federal labs to adopt out primates and other animals purchased with tax dollars.

This monkey, pictured in a now-defunct FDA nicotine testing lab, was retired to sanctuary after a WCW campaign led to the cancellation of the experiments.

 

Take a moment to write your Congress members and urge them to cut funding for all painful primate testing at the NIH.

Blog Comments

I worked in two primate labs and I can tell you, first-hand, that biomedical testing, especially invasive and painful testing is horrific and should be stopped. Aside from testing, the deprivation, stress, fear, boredom, isolation and unnatural environment takes an insurmountable emotional and often physical (including intentional and unintentional death) toll on the primates and watching it was the most difficult thing I have ever done and I still carry it in my heart. I, along with a handful of others in the labs, always tried to fight for better conditions but in a lab that is like swimming upstream. Humane lab is an oxymoron. The research needs to stop and the labs need to contribute to their lifetime care in sanctuaries.

Why didnt you report the inhumane treatment rather than just watch it?

si todos nos quejamos deberan terminar de asesinar inocentes criaturas.entre todos podemos.somos su voz

I ABSOLUTELY AGREE ANIMAL TESTING SHOULD STOP ALL TOGETHER STOP THE CRUELTY THESE LIVING CRESTURES HAVE DONE NOTHING TO ANYONE. YOU WANT TO TEDT SOMETHING TEST INMATES THAT HAVE DONE HORRIBLE CRIMES

Absolutely agree. The fact that my tax dollars were used to fund these heinous, unnecessary experiments is making ME sick. My second thought is, why type of depraved, sick person thought these experiments up and how does this benefit anyone. I pray this passes and we effectively end ALL animal experimentation and move on to less expensive, more accurate methods that are available.

THE 26 squirrel monkeys who were in the nicotine studies are doing great here at Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary!

That is great news hopefully soon all experiments will stop on animals. I am so happy for these monkeys that have been saved

“The greatness of a nation and
its moral progress can be judged by the way its
animals are treated.”

stop this now.

Please stop these senseless tests.

Testing on animals is beyond cruel. Its ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING

Stop animal CRUELTY

Cut funding and end all primate testing #GiveThemBack

YES

I am outraged that NIH are performing these horrible, unnecessary experiments on animals and that we the taxpayer are paying for it. with Tex payer money . I urge the NIH to stop immediately.

This is DISGUSTING unnecessary must be stopped NOW QUIT USING ANIMALS FOR RESEARCH

Stop all gov testing on all animals. Cruel and mean.

Please protect animals stop the killings

It is the most UNNECESSARY primitive and inhumane treatment in the history of humankind! We DONT NEED these wasteful so-called lame stupid PRETEND experiments and NEVER DID! We already know. Animals are NOT like humans and the experiment made by these subhumans aren’t accurate anyway because THEY WOULDNT KNOW. In today’s COMPUTER SCIENCE IN TECHNOLOGIES, WE ALREADY REACHED OUR GOALS TO LEARN THE FACTS AND NOT THE FICTIONS. ITS ALL ABOUT GREED GETTING THE FOUNDINGS STEALING OUR MONEY AND ANIMALS NOT HAVING ANY RIGHTS AS LIVING SENTIENT BEING AS WE HUMANS ARE THET ARE THE SAME EXACT AS WE AND SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN PUT THOUGH THESE DISRESPECTFUL DESPICABLE HORRENDOUSLY HORRIFIC TORTURES THATS IS THE BOTTOM LINE. ABUSING ANIMALS AND OUR FUR BABIES IN THE MOST CRUELEST WAYS JUST BECAUSE THEY COULD SHOULD NEVER HAD BEEN OF PERIOD! REDICULOUS AND SHAMEFUL!

Cut funding for all painful primate testing at the NIH and all other federal agencies.

Stop cruelty

No animal should be hurt.

This has GOT TO STOP! Causing pain to animals is inexcusable.

How is this any different than what Hitler did to humans? We are better than this! It has to be stopped.

Torturing these animals with cruel, painful experiments must be stopped as it has gone on
For far too long. The public are sick of the cruelty that happens in these labs.

This isn’t necessary

I’m all in favor for testing, as long as the person, CEO, pharma, lab or politician advocating for it is the subject of the experiment. after a few years of testing and no side effects or malign results are proven then, it should be approved by the FDA or agency in charge. let’s see how many of these “humans” will advocate for experiments in the name of science (greed). we all know it.

These experiments are not necessary. Stop all cruelty to all animals!

Disgusting this is evil and has to be stopped

Testing on ALL animals should be stopped, it abuse! They endure pain, illness, side effects from all the abuse subjected to them. Please see that this testing is stopped, and the animals taken to sanctuaries were can live out their lives free from abuse.

This is so horrifying!! I cannot believe this practice exists.
This needs to stop!

Thia monstrous torture of these Primates ( 7000) last year alone IS NOT SCIENCE ! It is torture driven by GREED to get more funding . Why possible use does ” a maximum pain “experiment yield It proves what that torturing animals and brutalizing them causing pain and fear and depression. I would like to lock ” these ” Scientists” into these cages and study them. You’ll see how quickly they admit it’s not Science. END THIS TORURE TODAY !!! NO TIMELINE NOW TODAY FREE THESE PRIMATES TO A REPUTABLE SANCTUARY NOW !

Stop with the testing

Stop

Horrible

This Horrible animal anuse should be stoped . Or tax money is being wasted and uswd to performe Torture, to this inocebt primates. Pkease help stop rhis abuse now.

Stop the testing NOW!!!!!

Stop this cruelty !

To stop this the media or television any other way must
be used so the people can see how the experiments are done. How those innocent creatures suffer so much pain and abuse. They the God given right to be free not put in cages or be a pet.

Vous ne pouvez pas continuer à faire subir ces tortures aux animaux,comment pouvez vous vous regarder dans une glace après ça. Pensez vous que c’est digne d’êtres humains évolués sensibles et intelligents ou plutôt d’êtres pervers et sadiques,a vous de réfléchir et de changer les choses, MAINTENANT.

Il faut arrêter toutes ces souffrances faites aux animaux ,c’est inacceptable .

The University of Washington Is still using hundreds of rhesus macaques for maternal deprivation protocols as well as AIDS (siv) research. These Animals live and die at the University of Washington Laboratories in the name of science.

This practice and those people involved are disgusting! Call your representatives and get this stopped! 🤢🤮

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