Woman defies animal rights militants after online abuse

An Italian woman who declared in an internet posting that she owed her life to medicines developed from testing on laboratory mice has gone on national television to answer abuse from animal rights militants. Caterina Simonsen, 25, received insults and abuse, which politicians rushed to condemn, after posting a defense of animal testing on Facebook. "Without it, I would have died when I was nine," wrote Simonsen, whose story has dominated Italian newspapers and television reports. One anti-vivisection activist responded on Facebook."You could die tomorrow. I wouldn't sacrifice my goldfish for you." Another commented: "If you had died as a child, no-one would have given a damn." Shocked by the tone of the messages, Simonsen, who has a respiratory illness requiring her to be attached to oxygen tubes, made a video that was played repeatedly on national media on Sunday...more