IS it morally justifiable to inflict suffering on another living creature?

Experiments on animals are unreliable because they tell us about animals, not people.

A wide variety of useful research techniques which do not use animals already exists and has further potential for development if funding were to be diverted from animal research.

Methods include human cell and tissue cultures and sophisticated computer models.

Many illnesses have been treated successfully for years using methods developed without animal testing. These include herbalism, acupuncture, osteopathy, homeopathy and chiropractice.

We must extend our morality to creatures and ban cruel and unreliable tests and use other humane methods of direct relevance to people.

SHEILA BRENNAN, Bombay Street, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.