In December 2011, the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine issued a landmark report confirming that the current use of chimpanzees for invasive biomedical research is “largely unnecessary.” Nearly 1,000 chimpanzees remain in six U.S. laboratories, with about 500 of them owned by the federal government. The cost to federal taxpayers is $30 million a year to maintain these animals and use them in research, and the United States is the only industrialized nation to continue this practice.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report was commissioned by the National Institutes of Health following an outcry over the agency’s 2010 proposal to move 186 federally-owned chimpanzees from Alamogordo, N.M., to the Southwest National Primate Research Center in San Antonio. These chimpanzees, including 53 year-old Flo, had already been subjected to decades of harmful research, yet were slated to be available again for invasive experiments.
At the urging of thousands of animal advocates—including more than 25,000 HSUS supporters, several U.S. senators, and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson—the NIH announced in January 2011 that it would postpone the transfer of the remaining Alamogordo chimpanzees until the IOM committee issued a report on the necessity of using of chimpanzees in research. NIH director Francis Collins indicated at a December press briefing that the Alamogordo chimps would not be used in research for the foreseeable future. He also announced that a Council of Councils would be formed to make an assessment of what uses of chimps conform to the NIH guidelines. Those uses that fall outside the recommendations of the IOM report will be terminated in time.
The IOM’s findings support the overwhelming evidence that the use of chimpanzees in harmful research should end, except in very narrow circumstances. The report makes plain that the limited usefulness of chimps will diminish further over time, especially as alternative methods are developed.
NIH instructed the committee to disregard ethical and financial considerations when making its decision, but these factors cannot be logically excluded from any judgment about future uses of chimps. The cost to taxpayers would be significantly reduced if invasive research ended and the same chimpanzees were retired to nonprofit sanctuaries, where they live in far superior environments at a lower cost than the confined housing in laboratories—which do not have highly professional staff that know how to provide an enriched and humane environment. It is financially irresponsible to continue throwing research dollars away supporting chimpanzee research instead of pursuing innovative and cost-effective approaches that are also more humane.?Now that we have affirmation by a panel of experts that the scientific rationale for using chimps is very highly questionable, it’s up to Congress to pass the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act. Chimpanzees suffer immense, lasting physical and psychological harm from being used in invasive experiments in laboratories. Our 2009 undercover investigation demonstrated that the complex needs of chimpanzees simply cannot be met in a laboratory setting.
These bills (S. 810 and H.R. 1513), which combined have nearly 150 cosponsors in the House and Senate, would phase out harmful research on chimpanzees in laboratories and retire the approximately 500 federally owned chimpanzees—including those at the Alamogordo Primate Facility—to permanent sanctuary. Meanwhile, The HSUS has petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to upgrade all chimpanzee populations as endangered—an outcome that would also end the use of chimps in invasive experiments.
In the wake of this important report, please act today to urge your legislators to end the use of chimpanzees in harmful research once and for all.
What would a notable New Jersey Senator want with little ol’ me? I asked myself this very question at the start of 2010 when I received a call from Senator Joseph Kyrillos’ office asking me to come in and share my story, which is explained in detail here. Shortly after, I gained my composure and reminded myself that I am special, unique, and worthy of the Senator’s time because my passion brings me joy and provides me with endless opportunities to serve others. Before I reveal the outcome of our electrifying meeting, allow me to provide you with some basic pointers pertaining to advocacy work and the “how to’s” of meeting with your legislator.
1. E-mail, call, or write a letter to your legislator about the topic of interest you have a desire to advocate for. Make it short and sweet, while adding the most important details and leaving out extraneous information. Remember, these are busy folks, so be memorable and BE KIND!
2. Before your meeting, make Google your friend. Read up on your legislator’s biography, the issues he/she is a champion for, committees he/she serves on, and awards he/she has received. Knowledge is power no matter what the circumstance.
3. Prepare the documents that you will be presenting to your legislator, and if you are like me, carry them in a bright colored folder! I chose bright orange (pink and purple were runners up). For example, I left a brochure explaining RSD/CRPS, my resume, and my first CSL blog post with information on crazysexylife.com. What is a meeting with a senator without mentioning Kris Carr and Crazy Sexy Life?
4. If you know your nerves often get the best of you, practice speaking beforehand. Keep in mind, you will have thirty minutes or less to meet with your legislator, so use your time wisely. Kill him/her with kindness, passion, and a snazzy outfit. A little sparkle never hurt anyone!
5. Meet with your legislator! Make eye contact, remember your manners, and use body language that expresses confidence. Convey to him/her that your message is unique and your cause is worth his/her time, effort, and backing.
6. Follow up with your legislator and his/her staff within a few business days expressing your gratitude for the opportunity. Let him/her know that you are excited and will be in touch to follow through with what you discussed together.
7. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done! You just met with a legislator!
Meeting with Senator Kyrillos was like meeting with a very accomplished friend. His presence and charm are undeniable, but his ability to make you feel comfortable on the spot is pure magic. A few minutes into our conversation, I stopped shaking and started doing what I do best, which is advocate for holistic, compassionate, affordable, integrative, and individualized care for persons with chronic pain and illness. I want the patients to be viewed as the expert, minimizing the large power differential that exists between doctor and patient, and the health professional to be the facilitator of holistic and integrative care. “First, do no harm,” is a principle that has been overlooked in recent years, creating a system where diseases progress and individuals are left to solve their problems alone.
The Senator’s main question was, “How can I help you accomplish your goals?” We came to the following action plan:
1. Create a personalized website for persons with chronic pain.
2. Write a proposal to Congress (where I will testify) and a press release.
3. Increase my own advocacy work. My long-term goal is to lecture to health professionals in hospitals across the country about chronic pain, illness, and disability and the above mentioned topics of interest.
For now, I am thrilled with the outcome of our meeting and excited for what the future holds. As a budding social worker, advocacy runs through my veins, and my life is dedicated to the service of others, especially the vulnerable and the oppressed. Remember, YOU can make a difference! Now, go forth and serve others!
Over the past 10 years, I’ve become a pretty good advocate for myself. Because of the health challenges I’ve had (I’ve survived bone cancer and breast cancer), I’ve gradually learned to speak up for myself, and push myself harder than I had ever felt comfortable doing before.
That’s why when I recently heard a macrobiotic counselor speak about having gratitude for our hardships, I totally got what he was talking about. I felt it to be my truth because I felt it on a cellular level – my whole body relaxed, and I felt happy to have this truth confirmed. It’s a whole shift in how we look at things, and it’s a freeing shift at that.
“I’m not walking yet and I’ve had three surgeries. And there are so many other amputees on TV who are running, jumping and dancing. I’ve worked so hard and I’m not even walking. I feel so inadequate – I feel like a failure.” That’s how I felt before recently hearing the counselor. He changed my perspective.
For me, it helped to look at my leg situation more as a spiritual journey than as a failure. A journey of continual learning for me (and eventually one that others will learn from, too.) Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not inviting these challenges, but I’m aware that life and hardships can be an opening … that if I shift my attitude, or change the lens that I’m viewing through, I can see that a hardship can be a growing experience. An experience I can even be thankful for.
I can choose to be grateful, regardless. Instead of losing hope (or asking “Why me?”), I’m aware that I can look at my situation and ask, “What am I learning?”
I’m learning the ins and outs of advocacy. How to help myself and how to ask for and get help. I’ve learned over the years how to be my own advocate, to push beyond the easy answers and to seek beyond for the best possible outcome. What did I gain by doing this? A lot! I saved my life. The lesson I’m learning now is that when I’ve gotten as far as I can go being my own advocate, I have to ask for help.
“Find. An. Advocate.” Thank. You. Oprah. (And Maria Shriver!)
On a recent show, Oprah talked about how great she felt at age 50, and then how over the next couple of years her health took a turn for the worse. She didn’t go into too much detail about the health problems she experienced – only mentioning a thyroid problem and the fact that she was on lots of medications. Still, things were getting worse instead of better for her. Her friend and trainer, Bob Greene, remarked that the light had just gone out of her. When Oprah discussed this with her friend, Maria Shriver, Maria said that she’d had a similar situation with her mother, (Eunice Kennedy Shriver), and that she found an advocate to help them. She encouraged Oprah to do the same.
Oprah asked her friend, Dr. Michael Roizen, to be her advocate. He became her team leader, coordinating a meeting between doctors Oprah had seen over a few years. Together, they came up with a plan. Today, Oprah is drug-free and no longer has a thyroid problem.
When I heard her story, I knew that I needed to follow her advice. Like Oprah, I had reached a stone wall. I’m still in this process of changing my perspective, and I’ve decided to write about this experience as I go through it. I’ll use it as a learning tool for myself (and hopefully for others). If you have any thoughts or experience with this process, please feel free to share your successes or suggestions with me.
I’ve come to the conclusion that, as Albert Einstein wrote, “ The consciousness that created the problem is not the same consciousness that is going to solve it,” or something to that effect. Meaning to me: I cannot do this alone anymore, I’m going around in circles, I need some help to get a fresh perspective to help solve this problem of mine.
I’m in the middle of my journey, but I’ve found a doc friend who shares my love of plant-based foods to be my advocate. Basically, he’s helping me to connect to other doctors who have experience with amputees, surgeries, pain, prosthetics and with following amputees after their surgeries to see long-term results. He wasn’t the first person I chose, so don’t be discouraged if you’re turned down at first. My first choice was a woman friend (a doc and an amputee). This seemed the perfect fit, but it turned out that it wasn’t. My doc friend advocate had his own experience with numerous failed surgeries, so could relate to me on this level. His ninth surgery was successful.
How am I doing my part? I’m traveling to amputee support groups to talk with other amputees, and talking to some of their doctors. I’m asking questions of people who have had success and getting names. Then I’m setting up appointments for consultations. I’m gathering information that might help me. I’m finding doctors who are willing to work as a team with other professionals, something I hadn’t found in the past for whatever reason. Maybe I wasn’t looking for it, but I think it’s important for a successful outcome.
Communication. Teamwork. Time. I’m doing my homework in a different way. Not always easy, but necessary. I’ve learned that there aren’t any shortcuts for me. This time, I’m digging in deeper, I’m being grateful for this hardship and I’m enlisting the help of God, myself and my advocate(s).
Meg Wolff is a two-time cancer survivor who teaches people about the vital link between health and a plant-based diet. Meg lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and has a popular blog where she is building a community of people who believe in a healthy lifestyle. She is the author of Becoming Whole. You can learn more about Meg at www.megwolff.com and www.becoming-whole.com.
