The Department of Justice spends your tax dollars to stab, shoot, burn, and dismember live animals…and they don’t want you to know the details.

US government live tissue training

As VegNews reports: That’s why we’ve filed a new lawsuit to compel the DOJ to provide records relating to the agency’s “live tissue training”—in which pigs, goats, and sometimes even dogs are purposely and violently inflicted with traumatic injuries for cruel and wasteful medical training exercises. This includes cutting off animals’ limbs to simulate traumatic injuries.

Taxpayer watchdog group @WhiteCoatWaste filed a #FreedomofInformationAct lawsuit against the US #DepartmentofJustice for withholding documents related to its stabbing, shooting, and burning of live pigs, goats, and dogs in medical training drills. https://t.co/VDSrKYjpXi

— vegnews (@VegNews) May 29, 2020

Many animals die during the crude “training.” Even those who survive, are killed at the end.

We filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice for hiding documents relating to the agency’s “live tissue training” in violation of federal government transparency laws.

Last year, a White Coat Waste Project investigation revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Marshals Service—both housed within the DOJ—wasted $120,000 on contracts for live tissue training even though more effective and cost-efficient human simulators are readily available to teach emergency medical skills.

“The federal government’s own studies show that human simulators are more effective and economical than these outdated animal labs,” writes board-certified physician Dr. Steven Kaufman, a WCW advisor. “But, you don’t need a medical degree to appreciate that practicing on human anatomy instead of animals will make personnel better equipped to treat human injuries.”

House Judiciary Committee member Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Vice Chair of the DOJ’s funding panel Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) quickly joined the effort and sent a strongly-worded letter to the DOJ expressing deep concern and demanding answers.

In October 2019, WCW filed a Freedom of Information Act request for public records relating to the agency’s live tissue training—including paid invoices, training guides, and non-disclosure agreements, and other materials the agency is legally obligated to disclose to taxpayers. Seven months later, we’re still waiting.

We filed this lawsuit—you can read the complaint here—because the DOJ has failed to meet its legal obligation, choosing instead to hide the details of its pointless animal torture from the taxpayers who are forced to pay for it! We’re represented in this case by the Law Office of Matthew Strugar.

While our lawsuit and investigation continue, you can help by signing our petition calling on the DOJ to stop wasteful and deadly live tissue training on animals.