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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 1990)
Editorial Animal lab research needs strict controls In the past feu years. animal rights have become a lint political topic around tin; country, but perhaps it is mm hero more controversial than at the University In ldtiti. a group < .tiling itsell the Animal Libera tion Front broke into two science laboratories. de sinned equipment and released many lab animals The event seized national headlines and forced animal rights into the political arena That hreek-in. along with the Martha case last year .md the science bu'lding protest in October, has deeply divided the Uimec-iily into two camps: animal rights activists vs medical researchers. Attempts by school officials to re«:on< ile the two sides has thus far proved ineffective The issue has one e again resurfaced with recent news that l)r Richard Marrocco. a University psychol ogy professor, will be using monkeys in an upcoming scientific experiment. A colony of macaque monkeys will be used for cognitive neurosr ien< e research. Local animal rights people, including members of Students fur the Kthical Treatment of Animals, are pro testing tin; research program Marrocco, they claim, has a bad track record” when it comes to animal re search. And after the Martha debacle, they don't want monkeys to be used in animal research The University's Institutional Animal Clare and Use Committee is supposed to oversee animal experiments. Motli sums sen the i/\i.! i, necoming .1 namegrounu tor primate researi It Animal rights is one of fhostt political issues, like so many today, that will never be fully resolved. There will never be total agreement between both sides, but there are ways of satisfying both sides, if not totally, at least partially. Medical research is an important part of science, and animals still play a large part in that research. Im portant discoveries and breakthroughs in human health sciences cun be attributed to animal research. It cures for cancer, leukemia. AIDS, and other diseases .ire found, they will most likely be discovered because of invasive animal research However, that does not mean researchers have carle blanche to do whatever animal expt "intents they want There are limits to that kind of research W hen ever possible, othet scientific techniques should be tried Only when there is no other war should animals be used. Wishful thinking, perhaps But possible Sut h a program would need a strong lAtTKl, which would se riously study every facet of an animal-use experiment. Strict guidelines, meeting both scientists' and animal rights activists' approval, must be set. It the IACUC feels those rules have been broken, it should have the right to close the experiments Researchers should be forced to submit regular reports to the committee. Sur prise inspections are a must. Child care plan is risky but also innovative The idea is ,i gamble. maiim bet anse no mir in tin’ ii.itKin li.is tin'll it But tli.it rt'.isun alone shouldn't deter thr plan I ..me ( i ui111\ .uni thr federal government have real lied a tentative agreement on a i hi Id care plan which mat he the first sin h joint venture in the nation I'lie (ount\ and two federal agencies, the t S f orest Service and the l' S (ieneral Servii.es Agem \ would go in together to pa\ lor and operate a child < are fat ility ill the dow ntou n area for theii employees I’lidei the agreement, expected to he ti nali/ed later this month the county would pax for the buildings and then remodeling i osts The federal agent tes would then lease the buildings for a 10wear period and would also pay tor i hild t are equipment, utilities. mainteiiaiH e and janitorial t osts Ail attractive aspect ol the plan is that the (ISA and the forest Sen k e would reim burse the i ount\ for halt the t ost of remodel ing and for the interest on the original in vestment Also the cuunU is expected to get hath all of its initial investment after la vears from rent money and revenues from the ( enter The location ol the tenter is another plus Because of the proxunitx of main cnuntv and federal oftices to the child tare sitr, m.mv county and federal employees will hr able to stop bv to see their kids dur ing lunch breaks. I’hr plan is not without a lew detractors, however Lane (lountv (lommissinner Steve (Ionian hia voted against the plan, saving the ( (innt\ shouldn't spend the money now be( ause ot fears ot a less healthy econoim in the future lie also feels the counts could tail* severe liability it a child is hurt .it the ( enter These concerns should not hinder the go-ahead tor the (enter Any business ven ture is going to base risk involved When has the (its's economs been so stable and promising that all investments are a sure thing? As far as potential injury to the children, there is always that chance; anyone with a child is aware of that Hut as long as the la ( ilits is operated professionally and with the ( hildren as top priority , the injury factor should he minimal We also assume the cen ter will he insured against sm h injury The plan is still in early development stages, and a lot of details have to he worked out such as the amount of rent the federal agencies v\ i 11 agree to pay Hut so far. the idea seems quite viable, and it should he beneficial to .ill involved Letters Boycott support In support of tlic Ixiyi oil against Iho pun huso ol i om nii'iu i a 11 \ grow u grapes I ml ilross this letter to I diversity President \ly los Hi.mil tlio food son ii o personnel und tlioso who linvo \ot to take n stniul oil this issuo I ho postu iilos being1 usod on tlioso grapes mo deadly 1 arm workers fiuvo diod w ithin hours of winking 111 In-Ids thnt have hoon sprayoil I niimvorkors children fiuvo hoon horn w ith soi oio hi it h defer ts sui h ns missing limfis mid uioiit.il linn tut ions i nut or r.itos hay o in i reused in tlioso communities which surround tlioso grape tiolds duo to postu ido seepage and i oiisoquont water poison ing I’ostii ido i omp.inios are aware of the health hazards i re ulod In these i homii als and yet still tiso thorn Uo * annul rely on their "good faith to stop the use of those deadly i henii i als in the 'near future l*age ()nl\ In hitting them where it hulls then pm kethooks u ill lliev listen and iIim tinlinue the pest it ide use whit h results in the linnet ess.il \ milt I hit lull ailtl death o! huge numbers nl people President lhaiul and lellou rneintiers ot tnir t nmmuiut\ I nine von to support this box toll Support the health and well being ot not ouh the aforementioned people hut i onset pie lit 1 \ ot ever\ person in this i ountiA The i ondoning ot monet.uA train on the death ol others It.is to end All of us In not taking a stand on the detrimental use ot inorganii pesticides, are tin ttinseioush supporting and i untributing to the genot itle of innot ent people Don't trait lot someone else to take tare of this |>roblem for Mill lell these tompanies not th.it enough is enough! \ iiginia Miller Spanish Dialogue In response lo l)i Kit hard MmroiCIl's Statement 11)1)1 I i'll 141 "ll ’ s Ioci b,ul there isn l siiMu* inidtlli’ ground Its 1(111 ll.lll llll’ll’ l ,111 I lie .1 ll l.l login- betyyeen .iiiiiii,ll rights people mill lilt inn>ii it .11 re soon hers I must mtei lh.it. .is mi mu iii.il rights .n ti\ 1st I have tried desper.itel y tu est.ihlish th.it dialogue with little |gr,lilted, some) help Iroill the hiomedii.il rest-,in hers 1 h.i\ e lii’Cli in to ilisi uss the bash phdosopln as well as i in rent l ontlii ts vy ith I )i Aanm \ovik with biology graduate student Iteidie lit ink (lorinei meinbei ol (aialition tin Alii Dials and Animal Kesearehl and ! have tried to i tilliv.ile dialogue yyith Institutional Am mal ( are and I'se Immmiltee student representative lisa ( 'ulavetta I loyy ey ei I am disi in etmg that this gap Is yyidening not Hamm ing lust two yveeks ago. I rei eived .1 i iill from (ialavetla (om r again the student repre sentative) saying she could no longer disr uss l.\( I I mailers u if li me (.'outran to the I'mcmhl arte i le she did not say she (ouldn't talk to animal rights people, she just said she i ouldn't talk to me I ma\ he ail animal rights person." hut I .mi also a student and a Kugene ( iti/.en. So I teel we have made more attempts at constructive ilia logue than "the other side " | rei.all .1 partii 11 lar ( i .\\K member railing us bain kill ns. and Mania i o seems to la* spending <i Ini uf Ills tree time m Washington I) t. slamming People tor the I llm al Treat ment of Animals instead of seeking out dialogue 1 am open to talk u ith am one 11s long as it's i onstrui live and as long as indorlrination is not the motivation (ill Ireidberg (io-dirertor Students for the Kthir al Treatment of Animals -Letters Policy_ I he Emerald will attempt to print all letters contain ing comments on topics of interest to the University community. Comments must be factually accurate and refrain from personal attacks on the character of others. Letters to the editor must be limited to no more than J50 words, legible, signed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the letter is submit ted.
