The Middle Ground

In taking issue with my remarks about Americans for Medical Progress (AMP), Adrian Morrison has come to the defense of AMP's pro-animal research, anti-animal rights ad campaign (Ron Kaufman, The Scientist, May 25, 1992, page 8; Adrian Morrison, The Scientist, July 6, 1992, page 12). That he would defend these simplistic and polarizing ads is not surprising, given that he refers to the middle ground on this complex issue as "mythical." In his view, the controversy consists of the good guys defending animal research and the bad guys attacking it.

Notwithstanding Morrison's comments and AMP's ads, the middle ground in the animal-research controversy is a vast territory. It is bordered on one side by defenders of the status quo, who see all critics as misguided zealots and who see no room for improvement in the procurement, care, use, and disposition of laboratory animals. The middle ground is bordered on the...