The Director of the Animal Law & Policy Clinic and two Clinic students are to be featured in a virtual Congressional briefing hosted by The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in cooperation with Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-06) this Friday.
Event Overview
On Friday, September 23, the Director of the Animal Law & Policy Clinic, Katherine Meyer will take part in a virtual Congressional briefing about the unique and incredible qualities of cephalopods, the immediate actions federal research agencies must take to regulate their care, and how Congress can support this effort.
Professor Meyer will be joined by Clinic students Asha Anjali Ramakumar and Hallie Aylesworth for the briefing, which also features Catherine E. Krebs, PhD, of Physicians for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), who are hosting it along with Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-06), and Jennifer Mather PhD, a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Lethbridge.
It is time to close the gap that allows researchers to experiment on cephalopods without federal oversight. Cephalopods are a class of marine invertebrates including squids, octopuses, cuttlefish, and nautiluses. There is a wealth of evidence showing that cephalopods are highly intelligent, with complex nervous systems rivaling those of some mammals, and capable of experiencing pain and distress. These delicate animals require specialized care and handling to maintain their well-being in a captive setting. However, because they are invertebrates, cephalopods are excluded from federal policies regulating the care and use of laboratory animals. Despite the lack of even baseline standards of care, their use in research is increasing.
The need is clear and more urgent than ever: federal research agencies must enact policies to provide cephalopods with basic welfare protections that are afforded to vertebrate animals in laboratories.
Join us at this virtual briefing to learn more about the unique and incredible qualities of cephalopods, the immediate actions federal research agencies must take to regulate their care and use, and how Congress can support this effort.
Featuring:
Catharine E. Krebs, Ph.D., Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Jennifer Mather, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge
Katherine Meyer, Director, Harvard Law School Animal Law & Policy Clinic, and students Asha Anjali Ramakumar and Hallie Aylesworth
You can now watch a recording of the hearing.