SHELLEY Simmons of the National Anti-Vivisection Society (letters, September 1) is healthy, and can therefore afford to rubbish the idea of xenotransplantation and using pig organs for transplants, but while she does, so there is a real shortage of organs for transplantation which threatens human lives.
Several thousand people die each year awaiting a transplant and the possibility of animal to human transplants give new hope to the sick. Replacement heart valves actually come from pigs and this medical breakthrough has saved many human lives.
If animal research abolitionists really had the plight of the seriously ill in mind they wouldn't oppose biomedical research in the way that they do.
Seriously Ill for Medical Research (SIMR) is a patients' group which supports the humane use of animals and genetic technology where necessary in medical research. Our members suffer from illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma and many, many more. For a free information pack please write to SIMR, PO Box 504, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 2LU.
THOMAS BROMLEY,
SIMR Member,
Littlehampton,
West Sussex.
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