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JAIN DIGEST- Winter 2007
I have worked in multiple laboratories that use animal models animals, and the lab has to pay a high price for each day they and I question my choice of career path each time I use such keep the animal in their facilities, as well as pay for the samples. Since I was a kid, I have been taught to practice ahimsa development and maintenance of their sterile animal rooms. The I have been taught to respect all life forms, from microorganisms technicians have to be specifically trained to use the animal, to our peers. I have grown up believing that all living beings certain procedures are very difficult to perform on various species, have the right to a peaceful life. I don't eat meat and I don't use and such procedures take a very long time. In addition to this, bug sprays or mouse traps. Yet, as a biology student in college, I the assumption is made that the results obtained in this animal have worked on numerous research projects that deal with animal will be similar to those in humans, but this is not always the models. In talking to my parents and grandparents about the case. Therefore, if other options are available, researchers will be subject, I was told to think of the greater good that the research likely to adopt them. projects aimed at achieving, and to say one Navkar before using As a college student, I have worked at developing one in vitro animal samples. However, to me, this did not justify the use of method in particular, but as my career in the field progresses, the animals; I still felt as if I was entering a field in which I hope to encourage others to do the same. If each year such would often be required to take actions that contradicted my advances are able to reduce the number of animal models used beliefs. I would tell the people I was working with that I did not by a few, over time a significant difference will be made in the directly want to handle the animals, and they would field. I encourage all other Jain students who may be facing this understandingly do the tests on the animals and sacrifices for same dilemma in the lab to consider this as a line of research to me, such that I would only have to work with the samples that pursue. they harvested from the animals. But this was not much of a consolation either. Regardless of whose hands were doing the Parinda Shah Graduated this December from animal treatments, the harm was being done, and I was a part of
Illinois Institute of Technology, JSMC the project.
Jainism has played an important role in my life, especially in I found a lab that was doing cancer research on human samples
college. My strong beliefs in Jainism have ensured that I stay discarded from surgery, instead of using mouse and rat samples
on the right path and not be influenced by the decisions of my like other cancer research labs. Working at this lab, I found that
friends and classmates. I enjoyed my work much more, not having to struggle with my ethical concerns. I was also able to see just how hard it was to
As a common saying goes, “Jainism is a way of life," Jain values obtain human samples due to government regulations and are strongly embedded in my daily life and interaction with privacy issues. Further, not all experiments can be done using others. One of the main principles of Jainism is Ahimsä (nonscraps of tissues. Human samples were a solution for this violence), and I try to practice it to the utmost. I am a vegan particular lab, but not necessarily the whole field. It was at this
and encourage others to become so as well. My family even point that I decided to try to make a change in the field. I found prepared a vegan dinner for approximately 1500 people at the a project with the focus of developing ways to do in vitro (outside temple recently, complete with vegan fruit salad for dessert. I the animal) experiments that would yield similar results as in also am a member of PETA (People for the ethical treatment of vivo (in the animal) experiments do.
animals) and write countless letters to companies, organizations,
etc. in regards to their inhumane treatment of animals. In The notion of change is easy to maintain, but inflicting change
addition to my diet, I also practice non-violence in that I watch is challenging. There are strong activist groups in the United
a where I walk so I do not step on any small insects and I avoid States that fight for the abolishment of all animal testing, but in
grass as much as possible. I have also incorporated the principles my eyes these groups will never be successful in bringing out a
of Anekantavad (non-absolutism) in my life in that I attempt to change. The nature of biotech research is such that it requires
be more tolerant of others and understanding of their animal testing. For example, new drugs and devices cannot be
perspectives. Rather than arguing with others, I try to put myself tested for the first time on humans, steps have to be taken to
in their shoes and see where they are coming from. verify the safety of products from in vitro to higher and higher organism systems before they can be tried in humans. Researchers
Pathshala is one of the primary ways in which I share my will not listen to someone telling them to immediately stop using
knowledge of Jainism with others. I teach 11 and 12 ycar olds animals because research, the way it is currently done, cannot be
about the fundamentals and intricacies of Jainism. My sister done without such models. I think that any change to be made and I have also arranged a workshop for kids 12 and under during in this field will have to be slow but progressive. In working at Paryushan for the last two years where the kids participate in trying to increase the capabilities of in vitro technology, my idea various activities such as singing stavans, playing games, and is that if more information can be provided by techniques that learning about new aspects of Jainism. Besides that, we also do not require animals then fewer animals will have to be used. presented at YJA 2006 a session on Jain tirths in India. If the technology exists, scientists will switch to new ways.
Avani Shah, Cornell University, Researchers who use animal models face a lot of difficulties. Animals have to be raised for the purpose of biological research,
Jain Society of Rochester and the purchase of these organisms from animal facilities is College is very different from high school in that there are very expensive. There are very strict rules about the care of the thousands more people, and therefore a wider exposure to
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