People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, aka PETA, is probably not the first organization that comes to mind when you think of Donald Trump administration allies, but the over-the-top animal rights activists are becoming big fans of some of the president’s work.
On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it is “taking a groundbreaking step to advance public health by replacing animal testing in the development of monoclonal antibody therapies and other drugs with more effective, human-relevant methods.” The FDA will use AI-based computational data and other modern tools that are not only more humane but also cost-effective. The use of human-based models will also lead to more accurate results, create the potential for faster drug development, and make our country a “global leader in regulatory science” again.
Related: ‘Trans’ Rats and Animal Cruelty: Your Tax Dollars at Work
Trump’s FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary had this to say on what I personally think is an amazing and necessary move:
For too long, drug manufacturers have performed additional animal testing of drugs that have data in broad human use internationally. This initiative marks a paradigm shift in drug evaluation and holds promise to accelerate cures and meaningful treatments for Americans while reducing animal use. By leveraging AI-based computational modeling, human organ model-based lab testing, and real-world human data, we can get safer treatments to patients faster and more reliably, while also reducing R&D costs and drug prices. It is a win-win for public health and ethics.
He added:
For patients, it means a more efficient pipeline for novel treatments. It also means an added margin of safety, since human-based test systems may better predict real-world outcomes. For animal welfare, it represents a major step toward ending the use of laboratory animals in drug testing. Thousands of animals, including dogs and primates, could eventually be spared each year as these new methods take root.
Well, I’m not the only one applauding the idea. Several animal rights groups, including PETA, have spoken out on the announcement, praising the Trump administration for taking such bold steps.
“PETA scientists applaud the FDA’s significant step towards phasing out testing requirements on animals and will continue to push for policies that are best for all living beings,” the group said in a new release on Friday.
On Monday afternoon, the group posted a thank you to the Trump administration on X:
The White House Press Secretary is highlighting this milestone!
PETA thanks the Trump administration for modernizing the FDA and helping spare tens of thousands of animals each year from being killed in expensive and archaic laboratory tests. https://t.co/unLYYNplMh
— PETA (@peta) April 14, 2025
I’m a big animal rights person, but I am admittedly not a big PETA fan. I think they take things to the extreme. For example, I eat meat, but I try to source it from local farms where I know the animals are treated humanely. I am against animal abuse, but I believe in handling it through education and smart legislation, not through wacko demonstrations and virtue signaling.
That said, I want to give credit where credit is due. Some of these groups refuse to give an inch when the Trump administration does something right. Even today, Trump said to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, “Why can’t you just say it’s wonderful that you’re keeping criminals out of our country?” when discussing the deportations of gang members.
While I’d argue that an animal rights group and CNN aren’t exactly in the same boat, the president does make a good point. Everything is so partisan these days that so many people refuse to admit when the other side is doing something they agree with. As Trump said today, sometimes issues aren’t conservative or liberal, they’re just common sense.
So kudos to PETA. And more importantly, kudos to the Trump administration for taking steps to modernize medical testing and do away with barbaric animal experimentation.
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