Review of Maternal Deprivation Experiments on Primates at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Katherine Roe, Ph.D., Laboratory Investigations Department, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
September 2014

Moreover, after consulting numerous experts in the fields of anthropology, primatology, medicine, and mental health, we conclude that given the harm caused to animals, the experiments’ limited relevance to humans, the substantial financial cost, and the existence of superior nonanimal research methods that the continued use of animals in this work is scientifically and ethically unjustifiable.

This document provides a critical scientific review and assessment of continuing maternal deprivation and psychopathology studies on nonhuman primates conducted within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Intramural Research Program. A careful analysis of Animal Study Proposals, Board of Scientific Counselors reviews, scientific publications, photographs, and videos related to these projects casts doubt on the worth of these experiments in light of advancements in the field, and offers several examples of human-based studies that successfully address precisely the questions asked by these NIH investigators. Moreover, after consulting numerous experts in the fields of anthropology, primatology, medicine, and mental health, we conclude that given the harm caused to animals, the experiments’ limited relevance to humans, the substantial financial cost, and the existence of superior nonanimal research methods that the continued use of animals in this work is scientifically and ethically unjustifiable.

For the entire report, read the PDF.

Return to Maternal Deprivation Experiments