Bette Overell
Photo: Liz Brooks
Bette Overell, Founder of the New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society (Inc.)
"In 1978 Bette Overell founded the
N.Z. Anti-Vivisection Society of
which she was President for over 15 years. Many New Zealanders will remember
her Society's spectacular marches through the Capital that took place each
consecutive World Day for Laboratory Animals on 24 April during this period. In
1984 NZAVS took
a Petition to Parliament seeking abolition of the notorious Lethal Dose 50
toxicity test where Overell presented evidence that the procedure is not only
illogical and unsound, but that it is carried out solely as an alibi for legal
and commercial purposes. In 1989 she led a march to Parliament with a further
Petition, signed by 100,640 New Zealanders demanding the abolition of all
experiments on animals after obtaining affidavits from doctors all over the
world who claim vivisection is medically and scientifically invalid.
Drawing on evidence of which the author says there is an abundance, this book
is Bette Overell's answer to
Animal Research Saves Lives, a booklet produced and distributed widely
throughout New Zealand in 1990 by the Ministry of Agriculture and private
organisations. An eye-opener ANIMAL RESEARCH T A K E S LIVES -
Humans and Animals BOTH Suffer exposes facts seldom if ever
published in the popular press, such as the growing medical movement against
animal experimentation, the injustice of the peer review system whereby animal
experimenters make their own laws and regulate their own activities, and the
colossal profits and academic advantages being made from the industry.
Bette Overell is recognised internationally for her work in the new
abolitionist movement. This startling book, the first of its kind to be
published in Australasia, is essential reading for all those who have been
brainwashed to believe that health must depend on animal experiments. It could
save your life!"--- Animal Research Takes Lives
by Bette Overell
Four Vivisectors' Lies by Betty Overell
Book:
Animal Research Takes Lives
by Bette Overell
Quotes
Without exception the advocates of abolition quoted in this work, and
even the vivisectors themselves, who unwittingly time and time again give a good
case for abolition, do so on the grounds that vivisection creates medical
catastrophe. The writer has not discovered a single
doctor's comment which condemns animal experiments because they are cruel or
infringe the rights of animals. Perhaps like the writer they believe such
considerations are self-evident. In every instance doctors condemning
vivisection do so because of their concern about human health and the
great dangers arising from basing this most precious of all commodities on the
false premise of animal experiments. Whatever their motives for taking stand
fair and square in the anti-vivisection camp I am indebted to these pioneers and
forerunners of the truth, who, having the courage to step out of line and speak
against commonly-held beliefs based on bigotry and brain-washing, fall into the
category of Galileo Galilei and Semmelweiss, the former because he insisted the
world was round and not flat and the latter because he ordered doctors to wash
their hands before examining women in childbirth."---Animal Research Takes Lives
by Bette Overell