education

Objective: Promulgation of a federal law in Switzerland for "conscientious objection" of animal use in education. A law that allows the freedom of conscience to all students who do not wish to perform animal experiments.

In Switzerland, the use of animals for experimentation is regulated by the federal law of animal protection of 9th March 1978. The federal constitution of the confederation of Switzerland states the following:

Art. 2
The Confederation of Switzerland protects the freedom and the rights of the confederates, and preserves the outward independence of the country. The aim of the Confederation is to promote common prosperity, cultural plurality of the country, and to maintain internal peace and order. The confederation ensures to guarantee their constitutions to every citizen.

Art. 8
Everybody shall be equal before the law. No person shall be favoured or disfavoured because of sex, parentage, race, language, homeland and origin, faith, or religious or political opinions. No person shall be disfavoured because of disability.

Art. 15
Everybody shall be equal before the law. No person shall be favoured or disfavoured because of sex, parentage, race, language, homeland and origin, faith, or religious or political opinions. No person shall be disfavoured because of disability.

In this respect the proposal for a law for Conscientious Objection of Animal Experiments, is totally in accordance with the federal constitution of Switzerland.

We believe, that the proposal for a law for Conscientious Objection of Animal Experiments is probably the only possibility to conciliate various legal obligations and norms , the current guidelines in bio-medical and veterinary education and the constitutional respect that the Confederation of Switzerland confers on people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

As already shown in other countries, there does exist a possibility to eliminate an entire range of animal experiments: especially animal experiments performed within the first years of studies by university students in scientific faculties.

An overview of work done:

• The book "FROM GUINEA PIG TO COMPUTER MOUSE"(InterNICHE), was sent to all scientific universities of Switzerland. It contains the best didactic methodologies, without the use animals.

• A press conference was held to promote and propagate the idea of alternatives and the objectives of the project

• Conferences were held in secondary schools and universities on the subject of alternatives to animal use .

• Coordination and support, however possible, to university student groups, who are against vivisection and do not want to use animals in their studies.