Is it right to use animals for medical research?

My husband is currently awaiting open heart surgery. He needs an aortic valve replacement. Several bypasses will be performed while the surgeon has access to his chest cavity. His damaged heart valve will be replaced with that of a pig. If I had to make a choice about whose life to save, my husband's or the pig's, there would be no contest.

Undoubtedly, many pigs were sacrificed while the valve replacement operation was being developed and perfected. However, the end result would be that thousands of human lives would be saved or prolonged every year through the use of this animal tissue. I have no ethical problem with this.

Of course, experimentation on any living creature should be performed humanely, by competent and compassionate scientists. Pain killers and sedatives should be administered as needed to eliminate any possibility of pain or trauma to the animals. In Canada, medical laboratories using animals are routinely checked by government monitors to ensure that humane procedures are strictly followed.

Most people routinely consume meat from cattle, pigs, poultry, fish, and even wild game, without a thought as to how the animal progressed from being a living creature to being a part of the dinner on the plate before them. Periodically, horror stories are reported of inhumane practices on factory farms or in slaughter houses owned and managed by insensitive, money-hungry individuals.

In reality, humans can live quite well without meat, as evidenced by the thousands of vegetarians living healthy lives around the globe. Those who don't object to the slaughter of animals solely to tantalize their taste buds, are surely being hypocritical when they complain about the use of animals in research which will culminate in the saving of human lives. Let's keep our priorities straight.

Most religions allow the comsumption of at least some meat, knowing that this form of protein is valuable in achieving and maintaining good health. In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul advises his followers: " Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience, for the earth and its fullness are the Lord's." (1 Cor 10:25)

Humans have a duty to be responsible stewards of the earth and all its resources. We are obliged to preserve them, to use them with care and never to destroy or waste any of the products of natural world. Some plants, animals, birds and sea creatures provide human food and medicine. Other organisms exist for a variety of reasons: sheep give us wool, hens provide eggs, etc. Still others, as does the whole of creation, reflect the beauty, versatility and awesome power of the Creator.

When my husband is wheeled into the operating room for heart surgery, my first prayers will be his safety and health and for the success of the operation. Then, I will thank God for the plants and animals used to improve and prolong life, and for scientists and doctors whose knowledge and skill enable them to appropriate these tools for the benefit of humankind. Without medical reasearch, some of which must be on animals, these achievements would have been impossible.