In his 1975 landmark book Animal Liberation (New York, New York Review/Random House), reissued in 1990, Australian ethicist Peter Singer presented allegations about mistreatment of animals in "trivial" experiments. His charges impact legislation and science to this day. The book, which condemns the use of animals by humans, inspired the formation of several anti-research organizations, which harassed individual scientists and misrepresented biomedical research to Congress and the public. The most extreme group, the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), engaged in destructive acts against biomedical research that cost millions of dollars in ruined laboratories, lost data, and increased security costs.
The destruction and "liberation" of animals is no longer making headlines, which has led some of my colleagues to conclude that animal-rights activity has waned. They could not be more mistaken. Just look at the evidence: Selected scientists are still harassed. Misinformation about animal-based research based on Singer's allegations is still presented ...
