Italian woman with genetic disease condemns death threats received after defending animal experiments
Caterina Simonsen, a veterinary student who is unable to breathe unaided, said she has received a number of 'death wishes' after posting the message in support of animals testing
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An Italian woman suffering from a rare genetic illness has spoken out against the death wishes she was sent after defending the use of animals in medical research.
Caterina Simonsen, from Padua, had posted a photo of herself on Facebook holding the message: “I am 25 thanks to genuine research that includes experiments on animals.”
“Without research, I would have been dead at nine,” she added. “You have gifted me a future.”
After uploading the photo, Ms Simonsen said she received over 500 abusive messages including 30 “death wishes” on the social network.
Now, the 25-year-old has now posted a series of videos responding to the abuse and detailing her illness. She suffers from four separate rare genetic disorders that have left her unable to breathe unaided, she said.
A self professed animal lover, Ms Simonsen studies veterinary medicine at Bologna University and has posted a number of pictures of herself with her pet dog and ferret.
Although some abuse has continued, she has now also received a large number of messages of support.
A controversial subject, many campaigners believe all testing on animals is unethical and should be banned.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments