Opposition Grows to Bill Banning Dog Testing at VA

The American Legion has urged the Senate to eliminate language from a major spending bill that would ban most medical testing on dogs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Washington Examiner reported on Tuesday.

In July, the House easily approved the language as part of a package of four spending bills in July, and the Senate was set to begin work on those bills this week.

But opposition to the ban on dog testing has been voiced since then, including by The American Legion, which is the biggest wartime veterans' organization in the United States.

"We find the VA's practices to be within recommended federal and ethical standards as established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health," the group wrote in a letter to congressmen. "Based on this information, The American Legion . . . encourages the VA to continue research vital to advancing the medical well-being of our nation's veterans."

In addition, the letter explained that "There are many pet owners and animal lovers in The American Legion," but stressed that "Sometimes animal research is needed for the greater good of protecting human life."

A few weeks ago Friends of VA Medical Care and Health Research (FOVA), which represents more than 80 groups and lobbies for increased research at the VA, also sent a letter to congressmen urging them to act against the measure, according to Stars and Stripes.

The group said the ban would "impede scientific research and unnecessarily delay research advances for our nation's veterans."

• VA, Other Govt Agencies Conduct Deadly Experiments on Dogs
• Shulkin: New VA Bill Speeds Up Decisions for Vets