Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A recent letter submitted by Clayton Petersen contains a number of inaccurate claims, and I would like to set the record straight.

Dr. Fauci is not registered with any party. He has been director of the National Institute of Allergic and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under seven presidents, including Ronald Reagan, George Bush, George W. Bush and Donald Trump.

NIAID did not fund the study Peterson referenced in his letter. Furthermore, NIAID says it follows regulations for animal subjects in its studies.

This is one of the reasons we have regulations in the first place, and if people don’t think animals are protected well enough by current laws, then they should support stronger regulations.

If he is not already a member, I encourage Mr. Peterson to join People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which is one of the largest advocacy groups for protecting animal welfare, including that of beagles used in medical research.

I also hope that Mr. Petersen will start voting for Democrats, because Democrats have a long, moral track record of supporting regulations that protect people, animals and the environment. Republicans frequently call such regulations “burdensome” and want to get rid of them in order to boost business profits.

Thank you for caring about animals used in medical research, Mr. Petersen.

Jennifer Vogt-Erickson

Albert Lea