Briefs: It's Dog Eat Dog Out There

The lines between those who support and those who oppose the use of animals in research have always been rather sharply drawn, with last month's break-in and theft of files from a University of Pennsylvania's anatomy professor's lab only the latest example. But now it will be ever easier for members of Congress to choose sides in the acrimonious debate. Last fall, Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Rep. Bob Smith (R-N.H.) formed the Congressional Friends of Animals to provide a forum for those who wish to curb, and eventually eliminate, the use of lab animals. The group has enlisted 14 House members, including several who have introduced legislation on the issue, and has already petitioned the Pentagon to protest the conditions of lab animals and the use of dogs at a military research facility in California. A few weeks later, Rep. Vin Weber (R-Minn.) and four House colleagues organized the ...