Idiots. Animal torture studies are meaningless. The GM side will say they dont count for human health-and more research needs to be done. All this does is keep bigoted, sadistic anti-Nature researchers who think like the military(we need to destroy the village in order to save it).
And no mention in CD about the new lab opening up in Oxford where they are giving macaque monkeys brain surgery to imitate Parkinson's. Yep, that's compassionate medicine.
Anyway-here are the iron clad arguments against animal research. They cant be shaken by a 10 ton nuclear bomb, but human stupidity can dull the senses into indifference.

1)It is a perversion of altruism and compassion--you attempt to heal Peter by torturing and killing Paul. It is like trying to help a homeless man by kicking a family out of their house, beating them to death and moving the former in (except that finding a home for the homeless man is a sure thing--animal researchers have been trying to cure cancer for hundreds of years without success). The fact that the number one answer to criticism of animal research is a citation of alleged benefits proves that animal researchers lack a common sense understanding of morality and ethics--since we wouldn't allow murderers or thieves to cite the benefits they or their family attain from their actions to justify murder or theft.

2)It is a medical fraud--if you wouldn't think it is rational to find a cure for diseases in giraffes by experimenting on elephants why would you think it is rational to cure disease in humans by using mice, rats, dogs or chimps? Animal research is big business (from cage manufacturers to science grant applicants), and scientists have a vested interest in conjuring up new experiments to keep their paychecks, while telling the public that the research is important and a "breakthrough." (If you think animal researchers are strictly motivated by compassion, how many new drugs they develop can you get for free?) Pagan priests sacrificed animals and read their entrails to encourage the hope and health of society (a good harvest, easy childbirth). Those that opposed it endangered society by angering the gods. Today, animal researchers claim that if nonhuman animal research stopped, the world would descend into a hell of disease and misery (without explaining why society and culture endured even during the Medieval plague. By their logic, humans should have been extinct eons ago, plus it grossly exaggerates the power of medicine since humans continue to die from disease--including every scientist who has, does or will support animal research). Animal researchers promote the view that life works according to a quasi-Darwinian "Great Chain of Being" hierarchy where animals follow a ladder of complexity--starting with worms and ending with humanity, and that you can take them apart and reassemble them as easily as a jigsaw puzzle. If animal research is necessary for producing safe drugs and treatments why then do we need clinical trials on humans? Why does Pfizer have to conduct medical trials in Africa? Why do drugs like Thalidomide get pulled after being shown to be safe in nonhuman animals? If one had a choice between a drug tested only on rats or chimps, and a drug tested only on humans, which would you deem safer for people? The answer determines one's belief in the importance on nonhuman animals in research.
3)Animal research treats nonhuman animals in ways that would be considered an atrocity if done to even the most despised criminal in history--and yet, nonhuman animals commit no crimes. Why do they deserve such treatment?
4)If finding a cure for disease is so important, why aren't scientists and patients advocating the use of criminals or volunteers in medical experiments? Humans are the best and safest model for research, and we send healthy people off to be maimed and killed in wars for natural resources, religion and political ideology, and yet the war against cancer is only considered of dire importance when it comes to the discussion of abolishing nonhuman animals in research.
5)Researchers say animal research is necessary--and yet they eat meat, and engage in all other activities that are clearly not necessary. It shows that the necessity argument isnt even a real factor--they simply regard non humans as less in value and can do as they please with them.
6) Researchers say they need to use nonhuman animals for research because they are like us--and yet they say they deserve no rights because they are not like us. This highlights the real issue--the motivation for animal research beyond money is an arrogant belief that humans as a species are superior in value to all other life, based upon arbitrary, non-absolute and subjective criteria conveniently determined by those who stand to benefit from the discrimination and exploitation. The same reasoning was used by Nazi doctors to justify their experiments--a belief in the superiority of a group defined by those who stand to benefit from it. Ultimately, scientists engage in animal research because they, like researchers who were racial or Christian supremacists (J Marion Sims, Josef Mengele) believe their victims are inferior in value.

7) Animal researchers are not experts at preventing misery and death, but they are experts at causing them.

The CBC had a really good documentary last week entitled "The Disappearing Male"

http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/2008/disappearingmale/index.html

I think they have a link to watch it from that site.

some stats:

*Sperm counts have been cut in half in the last fifty years - and 85% of that is abnormal.
*In the last few decades there has been a 200% increase in male genital birth defects.
*Male birth rates have declined. Since 1970 there have been nearly 3 million fewer baby boys.

Finally some good news. Most CDers would agree that the global population is too high. If GM food lowers fertility while causing few other problems, then this is fantastic news.

important article, webber, great post!

This corporate god of profits is pissing on us and telling us it is rain.

Fertility is not the only issue with GE foods. Ge foods make people sick. Many countries have tried to ban them but the big corporations predominatly monsanto force or finagle their way in to these countries. The GE crop is most times modified to withstand gross amounts of weedkiller or the seed has weedkiller properties insterted into it. The actual modification of the food is terrible for the body but then the plants are sprayed with herbicide at levels that are obcene in my opinion and should never be eaten. The corporations fed us the line that they could stop world hunger with bigger crop yeild but it is proven over and over that that is not the case and instead the farmer who must pay for the the seeds (because they are patented) and then the herbicide are becoming enslaved to Corporations like Monsanto. please look for the documantary
" The world according to Monsanto the documetary America will never see" It came out last year and was pulled from every venue. I saw it on Amazon it was on you tube,and all over ....then it dissapeared. It can be purchased though if you are dilligent you may find it on the internet in peices (still some trying to get the word out) there is a link to more information on OCA Organic Consumers Association

One more reason on the huge pile of reasons not to pursue this ill-understood practice.

WOW!!! what an answer to the problem of abortion( at least for the poor), and actually, an answer to the poor themselves(throw the middle class in too).

Time to grow your own or become really good friends with an organic Farmer, or both.

If government would quit subsidizing agribusiness, gm, and the corn industries, genuine organic food just like the good old times before the age of oil wouldn't be so hard to accomplish. I'll be betting that GM's success will be its failure. I just hope that not too many will be dragged into this mess.

With close to seven billion people on the planet lower fertility rates has it's appeal. I'd prefer contraception to franken foods but for some reason the overall population seems so stupid they'd rather have war, disease, and famine to do what contraception can achieve painlessly.

Peaceman

Webber: I second Siouxrose. My compliments on a very well-written and insightful defense against animal cruelty and experimentation.

Unfortunately, it is a billion dollar business, and the "cure" has been on the way for a long time, just right around the corner. In the meantime, give us more money for "research" as we inflict unnecessary pain and suffering on these sentient beings, in order to help humanity.

As part of the poem goes, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

"Genetically modified corn has been linked to a threat to fertility in an official study that could deliver a hammer blow to controversial 'Frankenstein Food'."

And then FZ wrote "With close to seven billion people on the planet lower fertility rates has it's appeal. I'd prefer contraception to franken foods but for some reason the overall population seems so stupid they'd rather have war, disease, and famine to do what contraception can achieve painlessly."

More and more are getting that we are overpopulated and life would be far more simpler and enjoyable without so many people. I know we bears would like it.

followSon: the video about the crimes of Monsanto (not just GM, but Agent Orange, PCBs and the highly toxic range of pesticides) can be watched at:

http://vodpod.com/watch/725829-the-world-according-to-monsanto-2008

It is well known that pesticides are harmful to reproductive health: In vitro studies have shown that glyphosate (the major component of Roundup Ready) and the whole product is an endocrinal disruptor (affects hormone production in mammals in a negative way) and due to its cytotoxicity increases the mortality of placental cells; on top of that many pesticides lead to reduced sperm count and sperm quality in men and higher abortion risk (late in the pregnancy!)in women - more information:

http://www.panna.org/opsAbstracts/repro
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/GTARW.php
http://www.fwjustice.org/Health&Safety/Rao%20P%20-%20WMSF%202008%20-%20Reproductive%20Health%20Effects%20of%20Pesticide%20Exposure
.pdf

Ironically Monsanto and other biotech compaies have argued that transgenic seeds will help to reduce pesticide use but that was a lie from the start: the GM crops they engineered are either glyphosate-tolerant (meaning you can spray Roundup as much as you want and end up with even higher loads of toxins.... or

they are engineered to contain a bacterial gene that produces its own toxin: e.g.bt-corn; the gene is (artificially, via a so called promotor) "turned on" 24/7 so every cell of the plant produces the active endotoxin all the time, it is even excuded from the roots into the soil. In nature, the biotoxin is only activated in the gut of the insect pest and when used as a spray (in organic agriculture) it is biodegraded by UV-light.

On top of that, the artifically inserted gene will produce novel proteins whose effects on human or animal health are poorly understood (see also the famous case of Arpad Pusztai....)

Those of you, who found it funny or amusing, that GM-crops can cause / increase sterility and so might help to stop overpopulation, please read this:

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/GM_Soya_Fed_Rats.php

I agree with all of you who find animal testing appalling and cruel, especially in this context; creating "cancer-mice" or transgenic animals under the guise of finding cures for human diseases (focus on prevention instead!) or creating "higher value" food animals is unacceptable: (this is really scary stuff..)

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Genetically_Modified_Food_Animals_Coming.php

This madness must be stopped before it is too late....

First of all by buying only organic food (or food from farmers you know) and / or grow your own food, if you can.

Most importantly, do not buy any meat or other animal products from factory farming and reduce your meat consumption as much as you can (once or twice a week should suffice..)Thousands of tons of GM-corn and GM-soy (having killed the rainforest in South America) are used to feed our factory animals (although cattle are ruminants, they should eat grass and herbs, not high-protein cereal... and for each meat calorie about 10 plant calories are needed....

Secondly, protest against the fact that GM-food is NOT labelled in the US, so any negative health-effects cannot possibly be detected..... This is the worst kind of consumer deception and it should not be tolerated...

Thirdly, avoid convenience food from the big food multis (Nestlé, Kraft, Unilever, etc.)
It is over-processed, contains hardly any minerals or vitamins but instead a lot of undesirable stuff like preservatives, artificial flavour, etc. and because these corporations work hand in hand with the likes of Monsanto....

And just like with the tobacco industry, the GM industry will continue denying any harmful effects and government will let them get away with it. It could be called "corruption".