Pro-Test

A Pro-Test march on 3 June 2006, Oxford, UK

Pro-Test was a British group that promoted and supported animal testing in medical research. It was founded on 29 January 2006 to counter SPEAK, an animal-rights campaign opposing the construction by Oxford University of a biomedical and animal-research facility,[1] which SPEAK believes may include a primate-testing centre.[2] Pro-Test held its first rally on 25 February 2006, attracting hundreds in support of the research facility and opposed by a smaller number of anti-lab demonstrators.[3]

The group was founded by Laurie Pycroft from Swindon when he was 16. After forming the group, British newspapers described Pycroft as a "sixth form drop-out," "bedroom blogger,"[4] and "campaigning hero."[5] It is now run by a committee of ten: academics (Tipu Aziz, John Stein, and David Priestman), five Oxford graduate and undergraduate students, medical writer Alison Eden, and Pycroft.[6]

Pro-Test says that it stands for "science, reasoned debate and, above all, the welfare of mankind. … We support only non-violent protest and we condemn those using violence or intimidation to further their goals. We strongly support animal testing as crucially necessary to further medical science."[7]

In February 2011, five years after its first rally, Pro-Test wound up its activities, saying it had "successfully met its goals of defending the construction of the Oxford Lab, increasing awareness of the importance of animal research, and bringing the public on-side in support of life-saving medical research." Its US-based spin-off, Speaking of Research, remained active in the UK and US.

  1. ^ University of Oxford News Release: High Court Ruling (10 November 2004)
  2. ^ SPEAK website: The New Primate Laboratory (undated) Archived 1 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Marchers outnumber rights activists (The Scotsman, 24 February 2006)
  4. ^ Bedroom blogger, 16, takes on animal rights protesters (The Guardian, 25 February 2006)
  5. ^ Focus: A campaigning hero (The Times, 26 February 2006)
  6. ^ "The Pro-Test Committee", Pro-Test website, retrieved 11 December 2007
  7. ^ Pro-Test website (undated) Archived 15 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine