Canine medical experiments are cruel and have dubious scientific value, a national doctors' group told Wayne State's Board of Governors. It spreads that message publicly from a new billboard above southbound I-75 at West Grand Boulevard.
Part of a national campaign by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Free Press writer Bill Laitner reports on a Friday visit by Dr. Ken Litwak of the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
“We request that Wayne State stop using dogs in cardiovascular research,” Litwak told the meeting of university officials.
He called the canine experimentation “scientifically flawed,” and he gave officials what he said was a scientific paper showing “there are vast differences” between dogs and humans, such that the experiments won’t help to reduce heart disease and hypertension in humans.
The Washington, D.C.-based group has been leading protests against WSU’s canine experimentation for several years. Litwak said he was a Cleveland resident and a veterinarian who now works full-time for the Physicians Committee.
WSU policymakers also heard an additional protest speech by Beatrice Friedlander of Ann Arbor, Laitner writes.
The highway sign shows a sad-eyed beagle and says: "Doctors urge Wayne State: Stop dead-end dog experiments now!" It's due to stay up until early March
