Doctors Call on Congress to Halt Military's Use of Animals in Trauma Training
Hill Briefings Discuss How Soldiers Would Benefit from Nonanimal Education Methods
WASHINGTON—Military doctors and medics are joining experts with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in calling on Congress to end the military's deadly use of animals in combat trauma training and chemical casualty care courses. As Congress takes up the National Defense Authorization Act and the Defense Appropriations Act, PCRM will host briefings in the House and Senate to address why the military should begin using educationally equivalent or superior nonanimal training methods.
Hope Ferdowsian, M.D., M.P.H., PCRM’s director of research policy, will present an overview of the Department of Defense’s reliance on live animals, including monkeys, pigs, and goats, to train soldiers and corpsmen. Charles J. Rosciam, M.H.A., a retired captain with the U.S. Navy’s Medical Service Corps, and others will discuss their personal experiences with animal use in combat trauma training and discuss opportunities for reform.
"Battlefield medics and others caring for our troops should receive training that is state-of-the-art and human-centered," says Dr. Ferdowsian. "Training with goats and monkeys is inhumane and offers an inferior educational experience. Treating a goat with an artificially created wound is very different from caring for a human casualty."
Nonanimal methods range from lifelike simulators such as the Army's Combat Trauma Patient Simulator to commonsense approaches, like the use of civilian trauma centers to gain experience. The medical community has increasingly moved away from animal-based training and come to rely on modern technologies that simulate human anatomy and injuries.
What: PCRM’s Briefings on How National Defense Authorization Act Could Make Military Training More Humane and Effective
When and Where: The House briefing takes place Wednesday, June 3, at 10 a.m. in Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2212. The Senate briefing takes place Wednesday, June 3, at 2 p.m. in Dirksen Senate Office Building, Ground Floor, Room G-11.
Sponsor: The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Info: Contact Ryan Merkley at 202-527-733 or rmerkley@pcrm.org
For more information or an interview with a PCRM expert, please contact Tara Failey at 202-527-7319 or tfailey@pcrm.org.
Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is a nonprofit organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research, and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research.
