New Hotline Allows Students to Report Any Humane Issues That May Occur During Medical College of Wisconsin Class

MILWAUKEE—To protest the unnecessary use of live animals in a physiology course at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), doctors with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) will join concerned Wisconsin residents for a peaceful demonstration outside the medical college. Today is the first day of the controversial live animal laboratory in which approximately 36 live pigs will be used and then killed. More than 90 percent of U.S. medical schools no longer use animals in such classes.

The doctors’ group has set up a toll-free hotline for students to report any problems that may occur during the live animal lab. Reports from other medical schools have described how some animals have actually regained consciousness during painful procedures, due to insufficient anesthesia. Information about the hotline, 1-888-6-TIP-USDA, will be offered to students as they head to class on Monday.

“The Medical College of Wisconsin is one of the last schools in the country to use live animals for student training exercises. It has the technology in place to switch to superior, human-centered teaching methods, and it should do so immediately,” says John J. Pippin, M.D., F.A.C.C., a cardiologist affiliated with PCRM. “Live animal labs are educationally inferior, and they also raise serious humane concerns. I have personally witnessed an animal waking up during painful procedures due to insufficient anesthesia.”

WHO: PCRM senior medical adviser Dr. John J. Pippin and concerned members of the public.

WHAT: A protest against the plan to kill about 36 animals in a Medical College of Wisconsin physiology course; launch of hotline to report animal abuse.

WHEN: Monday, February 18, 11 a.m. This is the first day of the live animal lab.

WHERE: The Medical College of Wisconsin, main entrance on North 87th St., Milwaukee

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit health organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research,and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research.