An article in The Scientist (April 17, 1989, page 8) reported on the acceptance by the American Association for theAdvancement of Science (AAAS) of the Scientists Center for Animal Welfare (SCAW) as an affiliate member. As of May 9, three AAAS sections had indeed accepted SCAW: Education Medical Sciences, and Pharmaceutical Sciences. SCAW believes that this affiliation is an important landmark in the controversial area of animal welfare, and that it underlines the fact that scientists have long been concerned with issues of research animalwell-being.
However, SCAW is not an “Animal Rights Group” as stated in the headline of the article—it is an educational organization concerned with animal welfare. This is not merely a question of semantics The phrase “animal rights” has a connotation that implies an activist position (including lobbying) in attributing legal rights to animals.
For 11 years SCAW has sought the best possible reconciliation of human needs ...
