You are a 38-year-old woman who just got diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer.  Your prognosis is not as bad as it would be if it had been caught at Stage 4, but you do have a fair amount of treatment to go through.  Your family is very supportive and also extremely worried about your chance of survival.  Animal research has been beneficial in developing treatments and drugs for different diseases, including breast cancer.  A mouse study at UCLA led to the development of Herceptin, a drug that limits the side effects of traditional cancer treatments.  Your doctors are considering the use of this drug in your treatment plan; its use would make it easier for you to continue your current routine.  You must do research using the links provided below and write a position paper from a the patient’s point of view, answering the question, “Should animal research continue in the Unites States?”  This will be in preparation for the whole-class debate about animal research.  See Your Task page for specific information about the assignments.

Guiding Questions:

1. 1.How are animals used in research?
   

2. 2.Have animals contributed significantly to the treatment of cancer and other diseases?
   

3. 3.Do PETAs viewpoints affect your opinion?
   

Research Links:

Animal Research: http://www.amprogress.org/animal-research-benefits

Animals in the cure for breast cancer: http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2011/06/21/animal-research-is-helping-us-beat-cancer/

PETA’s Viewpoint: http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animal-testing-bad-science.aspx

Breast Cancer treatment: http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/your_health/breast_cancer_treatment

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