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SARR takes a stand for human rights

By Scott Tibbs

On February 24, the Animal Defense League held a candlelight vigil to protest the research done in the laboratory of Professor Preston Garraghty, whose experiments on monkeys and cats the ADL considers "cruel". The ADL also attracted reporters from the Herald-Times and the Indiana Daily Student to cover the event.

What the ADL usually does not get is a fight. This time however, a new student group formed to take on the ADL and tell the truth about the need for biomedical research.


This group is SARR, the Student Alliance for Responsible Research. A group of students, fed up with the ADL's crusade against biomedical research designed to save human lives or protect human health, formed SARR to explain the truth about why biomedical research is needed.

The February 24 rally brought out 50 supporters of biomedical research. SARR collected people from all over the ideological spectrum to support biomedical research, from the left to the right. SARR supporters carried signs with slogans such as "cancer survivor for animal research", "I love animals but I love people more", and "You are alive because of animal research".

SARR supporters were asked to carry flashlights in contrast to the ADL's use of candles. This was meant to symbolically show how we need to use technology to enhance our lives, not just pure emotionalism.

SARR activists pointed out animal research was used to find treatments, cures, and vaccines form many diseases such as polio, influenza, measles, rubella, diabetes, various forms of cancer, and AIDS. SARR also intends to educate people on why animal research must be used, and why alternative methods do not give us the information we get from animal testing.

SARR officers include President Kenny Zeiger, Vice-President Scott Tibbs, and Treasurer Jenny Kedzie.

See a related article by Scott, detailing his own experience and research in this debate.




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