I want to share an aspect of CAARE’s work that is less typical but no less impactful. From time to time, we are contacted by students who are deeply distressed over requirements that they engage in animal testing.

These students are facing a painful conundrum: they either take part in animal experiments they find morally repugnant or stand up to teachers, administrators, peers and sometimes even parents. This can be a staggering burden for students in their formative years of learning. They face going against the grain of an entrenched system, or breaking their moral compass to fit in. 

Even though it can be time-consuming and divert us from our other work, we always try to help these students however we can. 

Beyond a sympathetic ear, CAARE provides as appropriate:

• Scientific Alternatives: We research and provide non-animal replacements specific to a student’s project.
• Official Support: When applicable, we write letters to faculty and administrators to stand beside the student, ensuring they aren't fighting alone. 
• Evidence for Change: We supply documentation on how animal research is failing, which students can present to their superiors. 

Helping these students is of paramount importance to CAARE, because it doesn't just reduce animal suffering. For the student, it can be life changing. When people force themselves to go against their ethics, they experience a specific, agonizing conflict resulting in “moral injury.” 

This was powerfully expressed by Matthew Bryson, PhD, who spent years conducting animal experiments to obtain his doctorate in neuroscience, but has since left the field. Today, he works as the Director of Analytics for a behavioral healthcare nonprofit. He also spends time working with Justify, an organization helping animal lab workers cope with the psychological toll of their work.

In his essay, Reflecting on a Decade in Academic Neuroscience, Matthew writes:

“To perform this work, I suppressed moral and ethical concerns while I was carried away in the current of scientific research, which necessarily prioritizes the potential for advancement over animal life and wellbeing. I left academia earlier this year, and I’ve come to realize that I hated my work, and that I came to hate myself because of the ethical dissonance inherent to my work. I experienced the deep psychological and emotional toll that it takes to actively do harm in the name of something you don’t believe in: moral injury. 

“Now that I’ve exited the world of academic animal research, I believe that, through this complacency, we have created a profitable machine that perpetuates both human and animal suffering and produces dubious and largely non-translatable results. 

“The psychological consequences of being a cog in this machine are not discussed and are far worse than anyone imagines.” 

We have provided just a small excerpt but we encourage you to read Matthew’s full essay here. 

CAARE has been providing support for students for years because we want to help animals. But now we know how much of a difference we can make in the lives of these students, helping them to avoid or manage the enduring pain of moral injury. 

Stories like Matthew’s are unfortunately not uncommon and remind us why our work matters. Each experiment we replace with innovative, animal-free science is a step closer to a world where no animal suffers in the name of research, and the ugly reality of animal experimentation is relegated to history.

Citizens for Alternatives to Animal Research and Experimentation (CAARE), is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, established to highlight and promote research without animals. Please donate to support CAARE’s mission to reduce animal suffering by disseminating information about the power and progress of research without animals. 

We gratefully accept gifts from Donor Advised Funds. Our legal name is Citizens for Alternatives to Animal Research and Experimentation, EIN: 46-5261800, P.O. Box 102, Ardsley, NY 10502.