Lions Tight End Sam LaPorta, Wife Callie Ask Michigan Legislators to Pass Queenie’s Law, Prohibit Painful Dog Experiments

LANSING, Mich.—Sam LaPorta is recovering for his next on-field battle, but that’s not stopping him from helping some four-legged friends with their own fight. Monday, LaPorta and his wife Callie urged state legislators to pass Queenie’s Law, a bill that would prohibit Michigan’s public institutions from conducting painful experiments on dogs.

The House Regulatory Reform Committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of the legislation on Oct. 30 with 14 legislators supporting, no votes against, and two legislators passing. The bill (HB 4254) has been referred to the House Rules Committee. In their letter, the LaPortas asked House Speaker Matt Hall and Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks to prioritize and advance the “lifesaving, popular, and bipartisan legislation.”

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 the LaPortas on the letter. The couple adopted their dog Bonnie and cat Walter from Happy Paws Haven.

“Dogs used in labs,” the couple wrote, “are no different than our incredible rescue pup Bonnie.” They then point out that “thankfully, science is quickly moving away from” dog experiments. In recent months, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to reduce and replace animals in pharmaceutical testing, the National Institutes of Health closed its last in-house beagle lab, and the U.S. Navy announced it will no longer use dogs or cats in experiments.

The LaPortas 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 Speaker Hall and Majority Leader Brinks.

“Michigan’s dogs are lucky to have Sam and Callie on their side,” said Ryan Merkley, director of research advocacy for the Physicians Committee. “Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to foot the bill for painful, dead-end dog experiments.”

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 Sam and Callie or to speak with Mr. Merkley, please contact Reina Pohl at 202-527-7326 or rpohl [at] pcrm.org (rpohl[at]pcrm[dot]org).