A Pattern of Abuse
O’Hagan has used animals in experiments for more than 15 years. She has killed pigs, dogs, rabbits, rats, and other animals. It appears that O’Hagan didn’t start experimenting on animals out of a passion for helping people—her American Physiological Society profile states that O’Hagan’s mother told her in high school, “You should go into technology. It’s the wave of the future for smart girls.” This steered her toward the life sciences.
O’Hagan took an animal physiology course during her second year at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and—having been interested in exercise and biology in high school—the class allowed her to envision a career that would employ her interests. By her senior year, O’Hagan had designed and executed her first animal experiment, using rats.
O’Hagan studied the physiology of exercise as a graduate and postgraduate student at Midwestern University. She combined the study of exercise with her previous interest in animal physiology, and her career work of putting pregnant rabbits on treadmills began.
The following are just a few of the things O’Hagan has done to pregnant animals over the years. They—along with a vast array of other painful and debilitating procedures—are outlined in O’Hagan’s published papers:
- To inject drugs into rabbits’ brains, O’Hagan inserted 23-millimeter-long, 22-gauge stainless-steel pipes into their heads. The pipe was secured by three skull-screws and dental cement, and a removable cap was placed over the top using bent paperclips and more dental cement.
- To manipulate blood pressure, O’Hagan surgically blocked the aorta and vena cava of rabbits and controlled the blockage using mechanical equipment stored under the rabbit’s skin. This is a procedure O’Hagan has repeatedly preformed.
- To cause an inflamed throat reaction, O’Hagan blew cigarette smoke into the noses of rabbits for up to two minutes while they were giving birth.
