Hearing on Landmark Bill to Ban Baby Monkey Abduction; PETA Leads Rallying Cry
For Immediate Release:
July 24, 2025
Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382
On Tuesday, Massachusetts lawmakers will hold a hearing on a groundbreaking new bill that would ban animal experimenters from tearing infant monkeys away from their distraught mothers during their first year of life.
The bill (H.1948/S.1167) was introduced by Senator Joan B. Lovely (D-2nd Essex) and Representative Sean Reid (D-11th Essex) and comes after PETA exposed cruel tests in the Harvard Medical School laboratory of Margaret Livingstone, in which experimenters took newborn monkeys from their mothers and forced them to wear goggles that simulated disorienting strobe lights for the first 18 months of their lives.
Prior to the hearing, PETA supporters will gather at the Massachusetts State House holding signs that read, “End Baby Monkey Abuse: Pass S.1167/H.1948,” to rally support for the landmark legislation. Massachusetts residents, PETA supporters, experts, and other animal allies will also testify in support of the bill at the hearing.
“Massachusetts can become a national leader in compassion by banning the sickening practice of stealing infant monkeys from their mothers so they can be subjected to grotesque experiments,” says PETA neuroscientist Dr. Katherine Roe. “PETA urges everyone to contact their legislators and demand that they support this important bill.”
Where: Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St., Boston
When: Tuesday, July 29, 12 noon
Svetlana, pictured above, was bred repeatedly to produce more monkeys for Livingstone to torture. Livingstone stole Svetlana’s babies from her and replaced them with stuffed toys.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
