AFMA is frequently identified as an animal rights group. Why?
Because AFMA opposes the use of animals as predictive and causal analogical models for human drug and disease response, our position intersects the position of animal protectionists in that they too wish to eliminate the use of animal models in drug and disease testing. However, that is where all commonality ends. AFMA’s position is rooted in science and the harm that is done to humans when scientific arguments are ignored. Animal protectionists, on the other hand, hold their position on ethical grounds. They utilize the scientific argument as a way to win people over to their cause. And that is their right to do so. There are additional differences. Because we are based purely in science, we do not oppose the use of animals to benefit humans when it is scientifically sound. We readily acknowledge that in many respects animals have proven to be of great benefit to medicine—just not as predictive models for human drug and disease response. Animal protectionists, however, unilaterally op
