Once Again, Muscular Dystrophy Patients Say, ‘Not in My Name!’ – PETA (blog)

Written by PETA | August 21, 2017

The late Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon may have been one of televisions longest-running and best-known fundraisers, but not everyone was a fan of the program. According to The Washington Post, many muscular dystrophy (MD) patients, as well as some former telethon poster children, cheered when it went off the air in 2010, because reportedly Lewis treated the childrenhe claimed to be helping with little respect, he pitied those living with muscular dystrophy and he used offensive language when describing them.

Today, many people with MD are similarly outraged over the cruel MD experiments on dogs being carried out in their name at Texas A&M University (TAMU). After PETA revealed that experimenters at the school intentionally breed dogs to suffer from a severe form of canine muscular dystrophycausing their muscles to weaken and waste away until they can barely walk, swallow, or even breatheMD patients spoke out.

I can tell you that I wouldnt wish [MD] on my worst enemy, let alone on defenceless animals, said one MD sufferer named Ian Hughes. These cruel experiments arent workingtheres still no cure or effective treatment for MD. But dont misunderstand me: The choice is not between animals and humansits between good science and bad science, between methods that lead to findings with direct relevance to humans and those that dont. Its time to switch to humane, effective, and modern non-animal research which doesnt cause animals to suffer and which offers those with MD real hope.

In a letter to TAMUs president, surgeon Sandeep Vijan wrote, As an individual with muscular dystrophy, I would rather continue to suffer than have someone abuse dogs in their failing search for a cure.

Katie Baldock, another MD patient, said, As someone with MD, breeding animals with this disease is utterly disgraceful. Yes, we want a cure, but to inflict our suffering onto innocent animals is simply cruel and most importantly, something we NEVER asked for!

These and other MD patients who have criticized experiments on animals know that inflicting this disease on dogs is not only terribly cruel, its also leading us further away from a cure or effective treatments. Analysis has shown that there are serious pitfalls in trying to apply the results of MD experiments on dogs to humans and that some studies have even produced the opposite results in humans.

Please join compassionate people everywhere who are urging TAMU to embrace modern, humane, non-animal research methods that offer real hope of a cure.

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Once Again, Muscular Dystrophy Patients Say, 'Not in My Name!' - PETA (blog)