Democratic expression of public opinion on animal experimentation

In December 1985, a very clear majority of 70% of the Swiss population rejected the proposal of adding an article to the constitution which would have brought animal experimentation to a complete halt in the country. Evidently, the extreme views of antivivisectionist groups are only shared by a minority of the population. It was possible to achieve this very clear result although a strong aversion to animal experiments and a critical attitude toward biological research exist in Switzerland, as well as in other European countries. The favorable outcome of the vote is due to a broad campaign of frank and comprehensible information provided by the research community, and to the willingness of the scientists to accept ethical restrictions to their work. It has been deemed important in Switzerland to continue with the basic information on biological research and its implications, since an informed public is obviously less prone to the influence of extreme groups.