This work portrays an alien being from an advanced civilization appearing before us asking forgiveness for having used us as experimental animals. It has taken their civilization a long time to realize that, in spite of our primitive state of evolution compared to them, we too are sacred, self-aware life forms.

What would you think if you were the research animal, imprisoned, tortured and killed to benefit a more advanced life form?

Is it right for us to take animals and imprison them in sterile cages without sun, moon or stars, mutilate them, inflict disease on them, kill them, cut them up, and throw them in the garbage because we want less disease for us? We would not think of using abandoned children, the mentally ill, or even convicted murders as research subjects, because it is wrong. We only use human research subjects when they provide reasoned and informed consent, knowing the risks involved. Animals have no such protection.

Research animals, which include our faithful companion dogs and cats, share 90% or more of our genes. They feel pain and fear, and are not mere automatons without emotions. In our society, we do not believe that the end justifies the means. No matter how noble the goal of eliminating human disease, it is wrong to torture animals as a means to that end. If we as a society insist, alternative methods could be developed to advance science without harming animals.

Text of "We Are Sorry"

Because you have no telepathic abilities but communicate only through primitive acoustic vibrations...

Because you are confined by space-time and cannot transcend the boundaries of your solar system...

Because you exhibit violent behavior and subject each other to pain, death and even mass destruction...

Because you have no grasp of the true nature of multi-dimensional existence...

We deemed you to be mere automatons, manifesting simple physical laws, devoid of the essence of self-awareness.

We found you to be convenient experimental vehicles for testing methods and procedures which would benefit our species.

To this end we subjected you to disease, pain, deprivation, mutilation, terror and death.

We now recognize that you, too, are a sacred life form in your own right. Though far less evolved, we now know that you are aware of your own existence and fully experience your physical manifestation.

We deeply regret what we have done to you as a result of our ignorance.

We ask forgiveness of the ones, the tens, the hundreds, the thousands, the tens of thousands, the hundreds of thousands, the millions, the tens of millions, the hundreds of millions, the billions we have tortured in the name of our science.

We are sorry.