Animal-rights group wants investigation of USC medical school’s use of live pigs

An animal-rights group on Thursday called for a federal investigation into the University of South Carolina’s use of live pigs in emergency medicine training.

The Washington, D.C.,-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says the emergency medicine residency program, run by USC School of Medicine and Palmetto Health, violates the Animal Welfare Act by operating on pigs when alternatives are available.

The group, which has filed similar complaints at other schools across the country, says the use of live animals in emergency medicine training is inhumane and outdated. It has asked a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate.

In an emailed statement, a USC spokesman said the program follows local, state and federal laws while using animals in teaching and research activities.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s unannounced April inspection of the school found no problems, USC added.

“Both the School of Medicine and Palmetto Health believe that our greatest responsibility as health educators is to prepare health care providers to preserve human life,” a USC spokesman said in a statement.

“The use of animals in the training of emergency medicine physicians is limited to a very small number of circumstances which cannot be adequately replicated by simulation experiences.”

This story was originally published August 25, 2016 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Animal-rights group wants investigation of USC medical school’s use of live pigs."