Bill Maher Asks Congress to Pass Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act

Outspoken television host Bill Maher recently told Congress that “it’s time to get real about ending invasive experiments on chimpanzees.” He wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and asked him to help pass the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act.

“Nearly 1,000 chimpanzees are locked in laboratory cages across our nation right now—many are elderly and have spent decades trapped behind bars. Most aren’t even being used in active protocols, because researchers have moved away from chimpanzee experiments after realizing how futile they are for predicting how treatments will affect human health,” wrote Maher. “The Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act would release federally owned chimpanzees to sanctuaries, allowing them to spend their final years in peace.”

Last month, the Senate held a hearing on the legislation. It was a significant step toward passing the bill, which now has more than 175 co-sponsors in the House and Senate.

Martin Wasserman, M.D., J.D., who has served as state health secretary for Maryland and Oregon and as the executive director of the Maryland State Medical Society, testified before the subcommittee:

“The timing of today’s hearing is perfect. Just four months ago, the Institute of Medicine released its report Chimpanzees in Biomedical and Behavioral Research: Assessing the Necessity, compiled at the request of Senators Harkin, Udall, and Bingaman. NIH has taken the IOM report seriously, and they are to be applauded for their efforts. But theirs is the response of current NIH leadership, and—as we all know—administrations change, leaders change, and policies change. Passage of this bill is essential to ensure that the unnecessary use of chimpanzees in invasive experimentation will not occur in the future.”

To ask your members of Congress to help pass the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, visit PCRM.org/GAPCSA.