Animal rights group files complaint against Eastern Virginia Medical School citing abuse in baboon research

NORFOLK, Va. — Animal-rights group PETA has filed a complaint against Eastern Virginia Medical School, alleging abuse against baboons that went through cesarean sections for pregnancy research.

PETA sent the complaint with the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office last week, and the letter states the school has a “longstanding, willful disregard of the well being of animals within its custody.” The school, however, has maintained that the animals were always cared for, and the research is vital for maternal and baby care.

As part of research, pregnant baboons were given varying combinations of estrogen and an estrogen inhibitor, and their fetuses were delivered via C-section at different stages of pregnancy, according to documents provided to The Virginian-Pilot. The placenta and fetal tissue were collected for study, according to the protocol objective for the experiment submitted by EVMS to the school’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

A total of 156 baboons were requested for the experiment over three years. Death of the mother, the fetus or both were accepted outcomes of the study as described in the documents.

According to a statement from Dr. Alfred Abuhamad, president, provost and dean of the school, the research primarily focused on studying preeclampsia, a dangerous pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure. The CDC states it can lead to seizure, stroke, preterm birth or even death in the mother and/or baby. About 5-7% of all pregnancies are effected by preeclampsia. The condition is responsible for more than 70,000 maternal deaths and 500,000 fetal deaths each year worldwide.

Daphna Nachminovitch, senior vice president of cruelty investigations for PETA, said the organization has been aware of the experiments at EVMS but a 2021 report from the USDA was what triggered the more recent actions.

The report stated that the USDA found three baboons had multiple cesarean sections without scientific justification or approval. Special approval is needed for animals to go through more than one “major operative procedure,” such as a cesarean section. EVMS appealed the citation, but the USDA later denied the appeal in 2021.

In June 2022, after the school provided additional details and corrective actions about the experiments, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) allowed for five baboons to receive six C-sections each.

“The federal agency’s involvement, and the repeated expression of concern for animal welfare from the federal government, certainly raised a red flag for us — other than just the fact that these animals were in laboratories being experimented on with invasive surgeries,” Nachminovitch said. “That alone, of course, we’re concerned about, but it’s very unusual for the USDA to take this kind of action.”

Then in 2023, the administration withdrew EVMS’s exception, citing concerns that procedures necessary to ensure animal welfare were not followed. Later that summer, state legislators brought up concerns regarding several state universities, including EVMS. An APHIS administrator said the office had “no choice” but to withdraw the exception after one baboon lost 18% of her body weight after her first pregnancy and C-section. The baboon had a second pregnancy while still underweight, and subsequently died after the second C-section.

Abuhamad said “attacks” about the research have been unfair. In recent years, multiple groups have had public demonstrations regarding the experiments. He said the on-site veterinarian at the school provides “utmost reverence and care.”

“The research cannot be performed directly on humans, through laboratory simulations, or using other animal models, has resulted in significant novel discoveries that substantially advanced the field toward understanding the cause of preeclampsia and its complications, including preterm birth and fetal growth restriction,” an April 14 statement from the school read, in part. “The research has employed targeted gene therapy and other treatment modalities with the ultimate goal to help save mothers and babies.”

Abuhamad said when compared to humans, baboons have an extremely similar process for development of placentas and fetuses in early pregnancy. This, Abuhamad said, makes this model “highly suitable” for learning more about how the placenta and preeclampsia develop during pregnancy. EVMS did not respond whether or not the school still had baboons.

Nachminovitch said records, which were shared with The Pilot, showed at least one female baboon displayed behaviors of self injury during the experiments, including tearing off her own fingernail, rubbing the top layer of her skin off and breaking her teeth. At least one finger on her left hand was amputated. Some received injuries from other baboons used at the school. Nachminovitch said PETA offered to arrange sanctuary for the baboons, since they were considered older. Nachminovitch said the organization never heard back.

Abuhamad said critical data for the research can only be collected after the baboons are euthanized. He said the treatment of women with preeclampsia and the survival of human babies is the “top priority.”

“My colleagues and I hope that the time will come when enough is learned so that the vital research being conducted is no longer necessary, so that the millions of families who are affected by preeclampsia can be spared the hardship and heartache that often accompany it,” Abuhamad said. “Until that time arrives, we are committed to participating in this crucial research, part of a larger effort to close the ‘women’s health gap,’ a worldwide disparity that results in part from under-investment in research on diseases that affect women or affect women differently from men.”

Ramin Fatehi, Norfolk commonwealth’s attorney, declined to comment on the complaint.

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