Popular initiative "Yes to the ban on animal and human experiments – Yes to research that brings safety and progress"

On the 13 February 2022 the Swiss electorate voted on the Popular initiative "Yes to the ban on animal and human experiments – Yes to research that brings safety and progress".

Summary

Animal experiments are permitted in Switzerland, as they are in many other countries. They are used in the development of drugs and therapies that offer better treatment of human and animal diseases.

Switzerland has one of the strictest laws on animal testing in the world: an animal experiment is only authorised if the results cannot be obtained by other means. In addition, the benefit to society must justify the stress placed on the animals. Furthermore, researchers may only work with as many animals as is absolutely necessary in their experiments, and they must keep any stress on the animals to a minimum.

The popular initiative calls for a ban on animal experiments. It would also lead to a ban on the import of products that have been developed using animal testing. Lastly, the initiative demands that research that does not involve animal experiments should receive at least the same level of state support as is currently provided for research involving animal experiments. Experiments on human beings would also be banned. If the initiative were accepted, no more new medicines would be developed in Switzerland using animal experiments, whether for humans or for animals. These medicines would include vaccines. Research and development on medicines or other products such as plant protection products would be restricted and possibly relocated abroad.

Last modification 10.02.2022

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https://www.admin.ch/content/gov/en/start/dokumentation/abstimmungen/20220213/iniziativa-si-al-divieto-degli-esperimenti-sugli-animali-e-sugli-esseri-umani.html