Transgenic Mice Make the NYT Magazine

[Guest guest]

Today's New York Times Magazine is carrying an article about the business

of breeding mice used in genetic research. The mice are purposely bred

with genetic defects such as Down syndrome, no hair, blindness, obesity,

etc. The mice are useful to scientists because they are cheaper to breed

than primates, have shorter life spans (making experiments go faster), and

yet are still genetically similar to humans. Apparently mice are not

included under the 1966 Animal Welfare Act, and so there are no standards

for lab treatment of the animals. The Alternatives Research and

Development Foundation has brought a suit against the USDA to have mice

included. Check out the article.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20000730mag-mouse.html

 

Free NYT registration required. Some of the pictures of the mutant mice

are a little disturbing.

 

At any rate, the traditional debate applies: if mice are included under

the Act, care costs will go up by 30%, while researchers say that mice

hold the key to many human diseases, and they are not mistreated anyway.

 

I had no idea that mice were not included under the Animal Welfare Act (I

must admit I don't know much about the act anyway), but it makes sense to

me that they should be.

 

Also carried on VeganVoice:

http://www.veganvoice.com/article.php3?sid=20000730142101

 

Clark

 

www.VeganVoice.com