After months of discussion, European Parliament approved this week a new rule for the use of animals in scientific experimentation, prohibiting the use of great primates – chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans – in the experiments. The other smaller primates can only be used considered a lot of restrictions.

 

The rule must be adopted by the members of European Union within two years and complements the law approved in 2009, which prohibits the use of animals in tests of cosmetics.

 

The approved recommendations also incentive the scientists to avoid, the must as they can, the use of animals in experimentation. As far as possible it is asked that they are replaced for alternative methods scientifically adequate.

 

12 million animals are used per year in scientific experimentation at European Union. The rule also recommends that the use of animals can only happen in experiments that aim to develop researches about humans, animals or the most severe diseases, which do not have cure nowadays.

 

Now it is time to United States to make decision, because the country still allows the use of great primates in experimentation. At this time this is happening with the 168 retired chimpanzees who are being transferred to be used again in medical experiments by National Health Institute (NIH). This institute has a long history of torture of great primates in medical labs. President Obama has in his hands the decision of getting together with European Union and forbid, definitely, the use of great primates in the cages of medical torture laboratories.