December 07, 2006

Act will not infringe on First Amendment

The recent passage of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act expanded current laws to grant greater protection to researchers and their families from illegal acts of harassment by extremists. This legislation, sponsored by Wisconsin Congressmen Tom Petri and James Sensenbrenner, counters violent tactics aimed at individuals or organizations that do business with research institutions.

Those who erroneously claim the AETA infringes upon inalienable First Amendment protections would be wise to study the differences between legal protests and campaigns that threaten people, their families and places of business.

University of Wisconsin researchers have long been victimized by misguided zealots in the name of animal liberation. Examples of this harassment range from threats made against medical researchers' children to mailing letters with razor blades taped inside their flaps.

The AETA ensures that federal law enforcement now has the tools to better prosecute animal extremists who have employed illegal actions against medical researchers and companies doing business with academic and commercial biomedical enterprises.

It will go a long way toward creating an environment where researchers can safely pursue medical discoveries that will save both human and animal lives. This milestone would not have been possible without the bipartisan support of Republicans and Democrats.