Man Demands Donated Kidney Back. Could Lab Animals Do the Same?
If you’ve spent more than five minutes perusing the Internet today, then you’ve probably come across an article - or 700 - about the New York man who wants his donated kidney back. Apparently, Dr. Richard Batista donated a kidney to his wife, Dawnell, when hers were failing. Then she cheated on him and filed for divorce. Now, the scorned ex-husband is demanding either $1.5 million or his kidney back.
Think of the legal precedent that this case could set. For transplant patients, yes, but also for animals in testing facilities. There could be a massive class-action lawsuit against labs, on behalf of the animals. They could sue to get back their missing body parts. They could sue for restitution, damages, emotional trauma, intentional harm, manslaughter, murder …
Okay, so this case probably won’t set any precedent, and no one will probably ever be able to sue on behalf of lab rats, but animal testing is a serious, inhumane issue.
The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection estimates that 50 to 100 million vertebrate animals are used annually in testing facilities worldwide. Educate yourself about animal testing at the Humane League of Philadelphia’s Web site.
Discover which brands test on animals and which don’t at Caring Consumer.
Leave a Reply