Another Lion Raises His Paw for Queenie’s Law—Brock Wright and Fiancée Carley Johnston Urge Michigan Legislators to Outlaw Painful Dog Experiments

LANSING, Mich.—In November, Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta and his wife Callie asked Michigan state legislators to outlaw painful dog experiments at taxpayer-funded institutions. Now, LaPorta’s teammate Brock Wright is doing the same. In a letter sent today to Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks and House Speaker Matt Hall, Wright and his fiancée Carley Johnston write that the LaPortas “aren’t the only members of the Lions family who support this important legislation!”

Also today, director and actress Alison Eastwood, daughter of Clint, sent a separate letter to Brinks and Hall to urge action on the legislation.

In October, the House Regulatory Reform Committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of Queenie’s Law, with 14 legislators supporting, no votes opposing, and two legislators passing. The bill (HB 4254), which was introduced by Rep. Joe Aragona, has been referred to the House Rules Committee while the Senate version (SB 127, introduced by Sen. Paul Wojno) awaits a committee hearing.

“Anyone who has a dog at home would be shocked to learn of the deadly experiments occurring inside public labs—and what’s equally shocking is how unnecessary those experiments are,” Wright and Johnston wrote. “Cutting edge, human-relevant research means there is no reason to harm and kill dogs to improve public health.”

The medical ethics nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which has been advocating for Queenie’s Law, and Royal Oak-based animal rescue group Happy Paws Haven worked with Wright and Johnston on the letter.

“Dogs in Michigan’s taxpayer-funded labs are lucky to have Brock and Carley on their side,” said Ryan Merkley, director of research advocacy for the Physicians Committee. “Voters shouldn’t be forced to pay for painful, dead-end experiments.”

In recent months there have been numerous signs that science is moving away from dog experiments. In May, the National Institutes of Health closed its last in-house beagle lab. In June, the U.S. Navy announced it will no longer use dogs or cats in research. And in December, the annual federal defense bill was signed into law with a ban on painful dog and cat studies.

Wright and Johnston join other Michigan celebrities who have endorsed Queenie’s Law. In October, actors Lily Tomlin and Ernie Hudson appeared in a TV ad that aired in Detroit and Grand Rapids and sent a letter to Brinks and Hall.

The Physicians Committee points out that human-relevant methods like trials involving patients, population studies, 3D organoids, and the use of donated human hearts are producing results for patients. In 2015, the Texas Heart Institute, dedicated solely to addressing cardiovascular disease, stopped using dogs altogether.

To see the letter from Wright and Johnston or Eastwood or to speak with Mr. Merkley, please contact Reina Pohl at 202-527-7326 or rpohl [at] pcrm.org.