UW Scientists have been using animals in their research for at least 15 years and animal activists have been protesting for just as long.
But for only the 4th time at the UW, an organized debate and a civil one at that.
A standing–room only crowd filled Chamberlin Hall on the UW campus.
On one side of the stage stood Dr. Eric Sandgren, a UW professor of pathobiological sciences in the school of veterinary medicine.
One the other side, Rick Bogle of the Alliance for Animals' Primate Freedom Project.
Both had a chance to make opening statements and then answer questions from the crowd.
"A living organism is very complex. Something that happens in the brain can affect things that happen in the rest of the body and really, if you want to study that you need to use a living organism. So those complex questions just couldn't be answered," said Sandgren.
Bogle countered:
"The truth of the matter is that there are a lot of clinical researchers studying humans, human tissues, human disease, watching patients in hospitals, looking at large populations that are just clamoring for more money for their research."
Sandgren says the law requires them to weigh the benefits and costs of testing on animals and they only move forward when the benefits outweigh the costs.
Bogle says studies show that animal testing, aside from being cruel, simply doesn't work.
But pretty much everyone that turned out tonight did have the same goal - to start an open, respectful conversation about animal testing.
They hope there will be many more events like this in the future.