On Animal Research

The recent venal response to Dr. Isis' very reasonable worry regarding animal-rights activists posing as university inspectors to gain access to her lab and wreak harm upon herself, her employees, her research, or her livelihood. In response, implied threats against her family were made.

Let's be clear: Toaster supports animal research. I do not support inhumane treatment of animals or unnecessary cruelty, but I will defend the necessity of animal research whenever it called into doubt. I do not undertake animal research lightly, and I seek to treat the rodents I use as humanely as possible. Some persistently argue that animal research is inherently inhumane and cruel, but I find that it is far more cruel to perpetuate human suffering that may be preventable due to animal research by sitting back and doing nothing.

Nonetheless, the recent debate got me wondering how far I would be willing to go to further research that alleviates human suffering. Adult humans aside, I suspect that if taking on a silverback gorilla armed with nothing more than a 22-blade scalpel was guaranteed to save a stranger's child, I would do so. And if that child were family, I'd forfeit the scalpel for a potato.