Donors Oppose Animal Research

Donors prefer to support health charities that oppose research on animals, says a new survey conducted by a Washington group that is trying to end such research.

The poll by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine found that 56 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to donate to a health charity that had a policy against conducting or paying for animal experiments than they would to a charity that did not have such a policy.

The survey of 1,001 adults was conducted for the group by Opinion Research Corporation International, in Princeton, N.J.

It comes as the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine — which has 105,000 members, including 5,000 doctors — promotes a new program to identify and certify charities that have a policy against supporting animal experiments.

Charities that qualify are licensed to use the Humane Charity Seal of Approval, a graphic that features a drawing of a rabbit. So far, 33 charities have been certified.

For more information, contact the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, 5100 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20016; (202) 686-2210; http://www.pcrm.org.