supporting a charity that's listed as "testing on animals"
i'm putting this on the "debate" forum. although i sincerely hope no debate comes of this whatsoever, i somehow feel it's more approprate here then in the "chit chat" forum.
my gf has family that has CF, so logically she's a supporter of this charity. i want to support causes that are important to her. the dilemma for me comes from the fact that CF is listed as a charity that tests on animals. I haven't found another CF related charity that i could possibly support in lie of CFF.org - which seems to be the major charitable organization for this cause.
this reaches into the very sensitive area of animal testing. some of my options that i see are:
i could simply ~not~ support CF and use any funds i might earmark for charity to another, non-animal testing charity - this is my current stand of choice (but i always want to remain open to changing my thinking).
i believe CFF.org to be a very reputable foundation. I could choose to support them because i believe they do good work and are a invaluable resource to the many people that suffer from this disease - while at the same time - voicing my concerns over their inclusion of animal tests. This, to me, would be the "not throwing the baby out w/the bath water approach" - not totally giving up on supporting the good work they do because of some of their policies that i disagree with.
Of course, with that option - i shudder at the notion of some animal suffering pain through my contributions. Of course how would i feel if i had CFF for a direct family member had CFF - such complicated questions (to me, anyhow).
Now, in all fairness, i am not aware of the specific testing done by CFF, and how invasive the testing might or might not be. If i had accurate information to that affect that could play a role in my decision making process as well.
Anyhow, I invite any opinions/comments but at the same time respect if someone wants to refrain from the conversation for fear of engaging in any type of debate. My intent really isn't one of looking for a moral black or white, but more - just to see what other's views on this might be and how i might incorporate the various viewpoints in a new way of thinking
thanks much...
Some people I know who have donated to charity put 'exceptions/requests' with their donations as to how they wish their monies to be used....you may wish to look into that. (ie requesting your donation goes to education about CF, or new HUMAN drug trials, etc....) They may or may not follow your wishes, but at least you, in good conscience did all you could do in supporting a worthy cause and still maintain your moral beliefs.
I like hanashi's suggestion of asking for it to be used for non-animal testing sorts of things. Unfortunately at this time, animal testing almost always has to be the precursor to human testing for new procedures/drugs (just the way the system works). I highly doubt you will be able to find a CF charity that isn't using money to support CF research that uses animals (or at least used animals at some stage of their research).
CF is a horrible disease. A good friend of mine from middle/high school has CF and is doing well, but he works his ass off to keep in shape so his lungs stay healthy. When we were teenagers, he was in and out of the hospital all the time.
It's definitely a moral struggle to decide if supporting research to help alleviate the debilitating symptoms of CF (or eliminate the disease altogether) is worth the animal sacrifice. No one can really make that call for you and no one should judge you for your choice, either.
A lot of CF research involves gene therapy and they will always test those sorts of things on animals before moving on to manipulating human genomes. I think this is an interesting topic for people to talk about. It's easy to dismiss animal testing for diseases that are not affecting you, your family, or friends but not so easy when you're seeing someone suffering right before your eyes.
I understand you want to support her but you have you shouldn' lose sight of the potential harm your money will cause to the animals. Also, many charities end up spending a great deal of their money on the salaries of those in charge, before it even reaches those who are meant to be helped by your contribution.
Look into healthy alternatives to cf treatment. There are books on this. You could do a search for journal articles at http://www.lef.org/ There you'll find information about diet and supplementation that works. Armed with the knowledge, you could create a powerpoint slide show and post it on YouTube and then show your gf. It's almost like making your own birthday card. It shows you worked on it yourself and it comes from your heart. That's better than just donating money.
Be creative when you show your support. Don't lose sight of who you are and what you believe in. She needs to respect your beliefs even at the risk of losing her.
Hope that helps.