We are used to leading signature campaigns to highlight issues related to health and the environment.
Here are our main companions.
Viruses at the CEA?
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) also operates biology laboratories. Animal research is conducted in some of these facilities. Antidote Europe opposes—on scientific grounds—the use of animals as biological models for humans; consequently, we question the value of research carried out at the CEA (as elsewhere) using “animal models.” But that is not all.
An additional danger justifies the launch of this campaign. Certain experiments will involve infecting animals with viruses or other pathogens within high-security laboratories designed to keep these agents contained. However, there are many such laboratories worldwide, and “leaks” have already occurred. In our view, establishing such laboratories is therefore risky, particularly in densely populated areas. Has the CEA facility at Fontenay-aux-Roses provided sufficient information, and can it guarantee the safety of local residents?
Article on the same topic
Teaching without animals
We are frequently contacted by biology students who do not wish to perform dissections or animal experiments. As for conscientious objection—that is a moral debate in which Antidote Europe does not take a stance. We go further, as you will see in the articles below.
We are looking for teachers interested in testing these new methods. If this applies to you, please do not hesitate to contact us!
Debate among scientists
Shortly after Antidote Europe was founded, we met a veterinarian who told us, in essence: “There is no debate within the scientific community; all researchers believe that animal experimentation is necessary before moving on to humans.”
Yet we were living proof to the contrary—sitting at a table across from a defender of animal research, while demonstrating that no animal species serves as a reliable biological model for another.
It is crucial for the public to learn that there is no consensus within the scientific and medical communities. Many issues—including the validity of the “animal model”—are matters of debate. This is important because several regulations affecting our health are based on the assumption that the “animal model” is valid for predicting human physiological reactions. Yet, we see that the number of people suffering from serious diseases (cancer, Alzheimer’s, etc.) continues to rise.
It is high time, therefore, for the government to organize a debate among scientists regarding the validity of the “animal model.” The conclusions of such a debate should guide future health and research policies. Antidote Europe has been consistently calling for this.
Stop pesticides!
These substances are widespread in our environment, and—without realizing it—we are all already contaminated to some extent. They can have disastrous effects, particularly during certain stages of embryonic and fetal development.
Article on the same topic
Thoroughly testing GMOs (archived)
We consume animals that have eaten GMOs. The effects of these GMOs on the health of livestock and on our own have already been the subject of extensive debate. Studies on laboratory animals yield conflicting results. Antidote Europe proposes a method for testing GMOs on cultured human cells—an approach that is reliable for humans.
Stop vivisection ECI
“European Citizens’ Initiatives” (ECIs) were made possible by a provision in the Treaty of Lisbon, which grants the right to call upon “the European Commission (EC) to submit a legislative proposal.”
The ECI aimed at ending animal testing is worded as follows: “Given the ethical objections to animal testing on the one hand, and the solid scientific evidence invalidating the predictive value of the ‘animal model’ for humans on the other, we urge the European Commission to repeal Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes and to present, in its place, a new proposal for a directive aimed at ending animal testing and mandating the use of human-relevant data in biomedical and toxicological research.”
While naturally supported by animal welfare organizations, this ECI has far broader implications. Since animal tests do not yield reliable results for humans, the regulations mandating these tests result in chemical substances being released into our environment or prescribed to human patients without a reliable assessment of their toxicity to humans. This is why Antidote Europe supports the “Stop Vivisection” ECI and plays a very active role at every stage of the process.
An ECI is not merely a petition! It involves collecting one million signatures across EU Member States within a one-year period. A minimum number of signatures is required in each state. Unlike a standard petition, which holds no binding power over its recipient, if an ECI successfully gathers the required signatures, the EC is obliged to hear the organizers out and provide a written, public response.
Full information available at: http://www.stopvivisection.eu
