Land of the Free, Home of the Antivivisectionists
If you’ve idly tossed around the idea of expatriation, this news item will surely send you packing—and practicing your Italian. We’ve received news that the independent state of San Marino, located entirely within Northeastern Italy, has formally abolished all animal experimentation within its borders. The bill, supported by citizens’ signatures and a local animal protection group, was presented in February of this year and has now been signed into law.
Although San Marino is a small state, this is a historic event: San Marino is the very first nation to make all animal testing illegal. Clearly, people (in San Marino and elsewhere) want more sophisticated non-animal methods to be used and find that vivisection is generally abhorrent. In addition to being compassionate for passing this most progressive law, San Marino doesn’t have to worry about having an animal-torturing preclinical racket come to town and wreck its local water supply or snatch up its citizens’ loved ones.
On behalf of the cats, dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters, monkeys, chimpanzees, pigs, rabbits, sheep, rats, mice, birds, fish, and all other species that are commonly used for research, thank you, San Marino!
-Sean
Posted by Sean Conner