Dr. Anthony Fauci Asked To Explain Funding For Experiments On Canines

Dr. Anthony Fauci and his organization have been urged to answer questions about funding for canine experiments and testing by a group of senators from both parties.

The letter, which the right-wing Daily Caller first received, was represented by Nancy Mace of South Carolina and signed by a number of her Republican colleagues and Democrats, including Ted Lieu of California and Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia’s representative.

It asks Dr. Fauci and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to explain the federal government’s role in experiments that use dogs to test new drugs before they hit the market. However, “the Food and Drug Administration [clearly states] that it does not require dog testing for new drugs,” as the lawmakers point out.

The letter follows an investigation by the conservative organization White Coat Waste, which uncovered instances of animal abuse while advocating for a total ban on federally sponsored animal testing research.

In the group’s narrative, conservatives have attempted to demonize Dr. Fauci, who was depended on by both the Trump and Biden administrations for public health policy.

ACCORDING TO WHITE COAT WASTE’S STUDY, the US government financed a series of studies on beagle puppies over the course of several years, which used records obtained via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and others that were publicly available. The puppies were anesthetized and had their vocal cords cut during the studies, after which the researchers allegedly put their heads in cages and exposed them to parasite-carrying sandfly bites.

Animal experimentation is still a contentious issue. Animal rights organizations have long maintained that the techniques are immoral and should be outlawed. At the same time, proponents of the practice believe that scientific advances on illnesses like HIV are only feasible because of such research.

Source: Independent