As recently as 10 years ago, few people had even heard the term "animal rights." Today, animal rights are the subject of lawsuits, and some animal rights activists are claiming responsibility for planting bombs and setting fire to scientific laboratories.
In the first of the two essays that follow, Christine Jackson of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a Washington-based group at the forefront of the animal rights movement, explains the philosophy behind her organization. She also suggests ways that researchers might conduct their experimental work without the use of animals.
Many scientists in the biomedical research community became acquainted with PETA earlier this year when the group, through a February 27 letter sent to Frankie Trull, president of the National Association for Biomedical Research, threatened to take legal action against the association for distributing to its members copies of "Beyond Cruelty," an article in Washingtonian magazine ...
