Pro-Test Deutschland:
A grassroots organization
spreading awareness of
animal research*
Written by Renée Hartig
Pro-Test Deutschland e.V. started out as a small grassroots organization, fueled by the disinclination
of scientists t o speak openly about the use of animals in research. It was the reluctance to open up
about science to the general public, whether because of poor communication strategies or fear of
rebuke by anti-animal research organizations. The founders of Pro-Test Deutschland were entirely
willing to speak about animal research and earn a public face in the debate.
Before ‘coming out’ about animal re-
search to the public, I thought my
personal safety might be jeopard-
ized by expressing my opinions about
animal research. You have heard it all
before: the crazy animal rights group
planting a bomb underneath some-
one’s car, What if that turned out to be
your car one day? I guess anything is
possible. Admittedly, I have seen pro-
testers demonstrating outside of my
workplace and outside the homes of
renowned scientists. Nevertheless,
I think that in this day in age, protest
organizations are getting smarter with
their strategies, understanding that
violent actions may actually ricochet
and do more harm than good for all
parties involved. When the opposi-
tion is peaceful and poses thought-
ful questions, rather than engaging
in smear campaigns, the politics of
this controversial debate become less
violent and more focused on finding a
middle ground that both parties may
agree on.
Going public for the cause, I found
that people were hardly ever violent;
only in some cases were verbal ex-
changes less-than-pleasant. Never
had I witnessed, after all the times I’ve
gone out to speak about animal re-
search, a reaction that I did not under-
stand. There will always be someone
strongly positioned against animal re-
search, and it is highly improbable that
anything you could say would change
their mind, but that is the point where
we can agree to disagree. Sometimes
that’s an effective strategy. Honestly,
Pro-Test Deutschland was not started
to change the positions of anti-animal
research proponents; rather, the group
was initiated to provide factual and
credible information to a public that
has been receiving polarized informa-
tion for a very long time.
As said best by the organization’s mis-
sion statement:
Pro-Test Deutschland lends its voice to
science. We supply information for eve-
ryone to help understand the role of ani-
mal experiments in research. By offering
clarification on many scientific, ethical,
legal, social, and psychological aspects of
animal research, we provide a common
platform to all those who wish to stand
up for science.
Personally, I would have had a re-
ally hard time speaking about animal
research if it were not for two things
afforded by Pro-Test. The first be-
ing education and the second being
solidarity. After I co-founded Pro-Test
Deutschland, the tools for public rea-
soning and speaking about such a
controversial topic were suddenly in
my hands.
Next spring, it will have been two
years since we started this organiza-
tion, and I am already amazed by its
success. We are limited only by our
manpower and financial resources,
but the foundation and principles we
have established are priceless. Pro-
Test Deutschland is building on some-
thing big, a movement where more
and more scientists, politicians, and
even the general public are addressing
animal research in a way that enables
reasonable and logical discourse.
Science is breaking tremendous
ground, policies are continuously be-
ing renovated, and more people are
speaking out with the facts – this is
a monumental time. As one of the
initiators of Pro-Test Deutschland in
Tübingen, I am so pleased to see the
movement expand across Germany.
From Berlin to Freiberg to Leipzig to
Frankfurt, we are spreading our voice,
and this is one trend that is not going
to fade out. Those who would like to
join us can reach out over the web or
email.
Website: pro-test-deutschland.de
Twitter: protestde
Email: [email protected]
* Also printed in Max Planck PhDnet’s Off-
spring Magazine
Renée Hartig graduated from
the Neural and Behavioral
Sciences master’s program in
2015. She is currently a PhD
candidate in the Functional
and Comparative Neuroscience
laboratory with Dr. Henry Evrard.
May 2017| NEUROMAG |
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