University of Minnesota Announces End to Live Animal Labs!
Earlier this week, the University of Minnesota Medical School (UMMS) informed us that it will eliminate the last of its medical student animal labs by year’s end. The head of the school's department of emergency medicine said that UMMS has "markedly curtailed the use of live animals for medical student education in Emergency Medicine" and "will have completely phased out their use by December 31, 2009.” He went on to say that “[o]ur students are being taught using simulation models including some of those you cited in your communication.”
Read the USA Today article on this victory.
Last year, UMMS ended the use of pigs in its surgery clerkship. The last hold out was the emergency medicine clerkship, which used sheep.
PCRM has been working to end the use of animals in medical education since 1985 when the majority of United States medical schools were using live animals to teach students. There are now only seven schools left (out of 159). The support of our members who write letters, send e-mails, make phone calls, and help fund our campaigns plays an important part in all of our victories, but we can’t stop until that number is zero. Thank you for continuing to help us advance medicine towards more ethical and compassionate practices.
If you have any questions, please contact me at mailto:rmerkley@pcrm.org
Best regards,
Ryan Merkley
Manager of Humane Education Programs