Physicians Committee Backs Wisconsin Bills to Improve Patient Care While Sparing Animals

MADISON, Wisc.—A national medical ethics nonprofit is applauding the introduction of new lifesaving legislation in Wisconsin. The nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is urging the state legislature to advance Senate Bill 851 and Assembly Bill 865. The companion bills would prohibit a medical training program from using live animals if an equivalent program already uses human-relevant methods or nonanimal methods are available. The legislation was prompted by concerns over the deadly use of pigs in a surgery program at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-Fox Crossing) and Rep. Nate Gustafson (R-Fox Crossing) have taken the lead in introducing the bills in their respective chambers.

According to an ongoing Physicians Committee’s survey, 80% of responsive general surgery residency programs in the United States and Canada teach with only cadavers or advanced simulators modeled on human anatomy and physiology. That list includes programs at the University of Wisconsin, Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, the Mayo Clinic, Northwestern University, and hundreds of other medical centers. In contrast, MCW and a minority of surgery programs continues to use live animals.

“We are grateful to Sen. Cabral-Guevara and Rep. Gustafson for leading this important legislation that will maintain MCW’s position as a leader in best educational practices,” said John Pippin, MD, FACC, director of academic affairs for the Physicians Committee.

“No doctor needs to kill an animal to save a patient,” said Eric Singer, MD, an Ohio-based pediatric emergency medicine physician who completed medical school at the University of Wisconsin. “This bill would ensure that Wisconsin healthcare providers receive 21^st century training.”

Studies conducted by the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, Johns Hopkins University, and others prove there is no reason to use animals to teach surgeons. A 2020 U.S. military study showed that the Human Worn Surgical Simulator (or “Cut Suit”)—which has lifelike skin, breakable bones, and a pumping artificial heart—improved how quickly trainees resuscitate a wounded patient by 10 minutes and reduced medical errors. Such human-relevant training methods allow surgeons to train on human anatomy and repeat procedures, which is not possible when using live animals.

Previously, the Physicians Committee collaborated with legislators in other states to introduce similar bills. In 2016, Maryland legislators introduced a bill that aimed to stop the use of animals for medical student training. Following the bill’s first hearing, Johns Hopkins University eliminated its use of animals for this purpose. In 2019, a Washington state bill prompted the University of Washington to develop a new medical simulator to replace its use of animals for paramedic training. In 2025, the Physicians Committee joined forces with an Arizona state legislator to convince the University of Arizona to replace animals in its general surgery program.

To speak with Dr. Singer or Dr. Pippin, please contact Reina Pohl at 202-527-7326 or rpohl [at] pcrm.org (rpohl[at]pcrm[dot]org).