From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Republican lawmakers are seeking to ban the use of live animals in medical training in Wisconsin, arguing virtual reality and other alternatives should be used instead.
Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara of Fox Crossing and Rep. Nate Gustafson of Omro recently circulated a co-sponsorship memo for LRB-5229, which they say would promote “ethical standards” in medical education and align the state with “modern” training methods.
Under the legislation, educational institutions would be prohibited from using live animals to train medical students, residents, fellows, interns or physicians in human medical care, as long as at least one other comparable accredited program doesn’t use them, or if there’s an alternative method that offers “equivalent training” without needing to use animals.
The bill would set a fine of $1,000 per live animal used.
It’s now possible to train health professionals without resorting to using animals, bill authors say, noting “high-fidelity” simulators and virtual reality can play a role, as well as human cadavars. They argue the practice of using animals in medical training “raises ethical concerns about animal welfare and is increasingly unnecessary” given the availability of alternative methods.
The bill authors note many institutions around the country have moved away from live animals for medical training, arguing alternatives can still offer high-quality instruction “without compromising” the welfare of animals.
“By encouraging the adoption of innovative, non-animal alternatives, we can maintain excellence in healthcare training while reducing unnecessary animal use,” they wrote.
See the bill text.
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