DOCSLIB.ORG

An Update on the Head Injury Laboratory

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
An Update on the Head Injury Laboratory An ad hoc committee set up in the spring to review the Head Injury Research Laboratory ofthe School of Medicine completed its report on August 2; it is published in this section ofAlmanac starting on page III. Below and onpage!! is the text ofa separate report summarizing recent events surrounding the Laboratory. It was prepared by the Secretary of the University, Dr. Mary Ann Meyers, on August 23. An Update on the Head Injury Laboratory The Head Injury Clinical Research Labora- and training of laboratory personnel, steriliza- declared their belief that the Head Injury Lab tory in the School of Medicine remained in the tion experiments, and the occupational health "has made significant changes and improve- headlines this summer as the federal govern- program in the Head Injury Laboratory. The ments... and that current protocols and facili- ment suspended its funding and President report also stated that the deficiencies in the ties are in compliance"with the NIH guidelines. Sheldon Hackney halted its use of animals in project can be corrected because they are not Upon receiving the report, Dr. Hackney said experiments designed to determine the best part of the research's basic concept or protocal that he was reassured by the committee's find- treatment for human victims oftrauma-caused or its experimental approaches. ings that the treatment ofresearch animals met brain damage. The president's action was taken A University ad hoc committee subsequently NIH standards. But he has also noted that "the in late July in response to concerns raised in a concurred with the NIH reviewers about the lack of cleanliness in the lab, the sub-standard preliminary report bythe National Institutes of scientific merit of the head injury reserch. In a recovery room, the lack of adequate supervi- Health (NIH). A week earlier Secretary of report issued in early August, the Penn investi- sion by a veterinarian, the smoking, the inap- Health and Human Services Margaret M. gators described the study as being of "great propriate comments ... are not acceptable at Heckler cited the same report in ordering sus- importance to human welfare," but they also this University." According to the president, the pension of an annual SI-million NIH grant for found practices that were not in compliance administration "will not permit the lab to support of the baboon research project. with NIH guidelines. The infractions included resume experiments with animals" unless both Secretary Heckler's order followed fourdays smoking the in the operating suite, lack ofasep- Penn and NI H officials "are fully satisfied that of sit-ins by animal rights activists at institute tic surgical techniques, casual dress, a sub- the use of animals in the research project is in headquarters in Bethesda, Md. and was given standard recovery room, incomplete post-oper- complete compliance with all relevant guide- on the basis of evidence from the laboratory ative records, and inadequate supervision of lines and that there will be no deviations, no gathered in a 1984 raid by the Animal Libera- the animals by a qualified veterinarian. matter how slight, from those guidelines." tion Front (A.L.F.). The activists stole video- Unlike the NIH reviewers, who questioned The research activities of the Head Injury tapes made by researchers to document more the effectiveness of drugs used to anesthesize Lab were suspended for three months during than60 hoursof experiments in which baboons' the laboratory baboons on the basis of video- the winter of 1982-83 by Dean Edward J. heads were subjected to sudden acceleration to tape records of the animals' movements and Stemmleron the advice ofthe Medical School's induce brain injuries. A 24-minute edited ver- researchers' statements about alleged wakeful- Animal Care Committee. Subsequently the sion has been exhibited around the country by ness, the Penn committee was satisfied that the committee reviewed a tape ofa procedure and People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, and doses ofanesthesia were always fully adequate. interviewed investigators involved with the the organization claimed Secretary Heckler's The internal review team reached its conclusion study. It then unanimously approved continua- decision as a major victory while scientists crit- on the basis of the stability of recorded physio- tion of the project, and in March of 1983 the icized it as an apparent capitulation to extrem- logical parameters as well as the nature of the dean released the lab from research restrictions. ists. baboon's movement, which were much slower NIH has been supporting the head injury The NIH preliminary report, which has not than is characteristic of an unanesthesized project at the rate of about $1 million annually been publicly released, stressed that the exper- state. for the past 13 years. Since the 1984 break-in iments were bothjustified and appropriate but Furthermore, the University committee focused national attention on the Medical concluded that there had been material failure noted that while it does not condone "instances School lab, favorable assessments of the to comply with health policy for the care and of apparent inappropriatejocularity and offen- research have been made by four distinguished use of laboratory animals. It raised questions sive comments" visible on the videotapes, it felt reviewgroups. The current NI H and University about the management of anesthesia and anal- certain that the seemingly callous remarks of investigations were delayed by the refusal of gesia, according to NIH director James B. the young researchers "do not reflect the animal activists to provide officials with copies Wyngaarden, a former member ofthe Medical general... manner in which experiments were of the stolen videotapes until one year after the School faculty, as well as about the supervision carried out." In conclusion, the Penn reviewers A.L.F. raid. ALMANAC SUPPLEMENT September3. 1985 I Within a week after receiving the NIH'S pre- liminary report, on which the suspension of funding was based, the University submitted an interim response. It contained a report to Pro- vost Thomas Ehrlich and Dean Stemmler from Vice President for Health Affairs Thomas W. Langfitt and Associate Professor of Neuro- surgery Thomas A. Gennarelli. Dr. Langfitt is principal investigator for the Head Injury Clin- Report of ical Research Center, agovernment-supported The Committee to Review enterprise, which is primarily focused on The Head Injury research involving human victims of severe Clinical Research head injury. Over the past dozen years, a por- tion of the Center's budget has funded the Laboratory laboratory project using primate models. It is Of the School of Medicine directed by Dr. Gennarelli. In their report, the Penn scientists make clear that whatever the past deficiencies in the lab, TABLE general supervision and operation of the OF CONTENTS research facility will in the future fully conform I. Introduction III to Public Health Service guidelines. Further- II. Committee III more, all of they deny allegations inhumane Ill. Pre-Meeting Activities IV treatment of animals and provide a compre- IV. The Review IV hensive account of the anesthetic and V analgesic . History which site visitors and agents, expert consul- VI. General Findings VI tants to the Medical School's Animal Care a. Compliance with the Guide Committee have found suitable for the preven- VII. Specific Findings 1tion and relief of pain. Scientific Merit Meanwhile, members of the biomed- many a. The Magnitude and Importance ical research community have expressed dis- of Head Injuries that the decision to may government's suspend b. The Experimental Design support for Penn's head injury research project c. The Results seemed to come in direct response to pressure d. Adjuncts to the Baboon Model from animal In a letter rights protestors. to e. Peer Judgment Secretary Heckler, the Association of Ameri- 2. State of the Animals, Their Aware- can Medical Colleges and threeother academic ness to Pain and Their Care in organizations wrote that appearing to capitu- Acute and Chronic Studies late "to the demands of an irresponsible advo- a. Pre-Injury increases the of cacy group ... vulnerability b. At the Time of Injury academic institutions to further break-ins, c. During the Post-Injury Period destruction of property, and loss of research d. At the Time of Sacrifice data of incalculable value." 3. Placement and Removal of the But the government's focus on the Head Helmet Lab continues, and in late the Injury August 4. Review and Monitoring of Studies Department of Agriculture is expected to file a 5. Facilities complaint against the University charging vio- 6. Conduct and Demeanor of the Lab- lations of the Animals Welfare Act. The Sub- oratory Personnel committee on Oversight and Investigations of VIII. Conclusions VIII the House Science and Technology Committee IX. Recommendations VIII has requested information on the baboon pro- ject from NIH and may hold hearings when Congress returns after Labor Day. Reportedly, more thanadozen congressmen are sponsoring an amendment to the NIH'S annual appropria- tions bill that would permanently cut off fed- eral funding for the lab even if the final NIH report gives it a clean bill of health. Washinton-based trustee John H. Porter, chairman of the public relations firm of Need- ham, Porter & Novelli, has been advising the administration on public relations aspects of the challenge from animal rights activists. Sur- veying the summer's developments, hesuggests that continued focus ofthe media spotlight on the Head Injury Lab will make Penn the stand- ard bearer for the cause of animal research- highly visible and, therefore, an easy mark for snipers. II ALMANAC SUPPLEMENT September3,198-5 Report of the Committee to Review The Head Injury Clinical Research Laboratory Of the School of Medicine August 2, 1985 II. Committee The Committee consisted of three members of the School of Medi- cine faculty: Dr.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Animal Rights Academy Free University Lecture Series Jan
    Animal Rights Academy Free University lecture series Jan. 10– June 27, 2013 (6 months) *** 24 weeks of films and lectures and discussion in review Goals of this course/film, lecture series • To provide an opportunity for sustained reflection on AR issues • To remedy the absence of a course on AR philosophy in Toronto • To provide free education to the public • To encourage independent rational thought on controversial issues • To strengthen and broaden the local AR community • To provide an opportunity for local thinkers to disseminate their views Films shown • The Witness (must see, Youtube) • Peaceable Kingdom (must see) • Earthlings (must see) • The Call of Life (must see) • The Plague Dogs (animation, fiction, Youtube) • Ikiru (by Kurosawae, fiction) • Fantastic Planet (animation, fiction, Youtube) • The Superior Human (must see, Youtube) • Distrinct 9 (fiction) • I Am an Animal (about PETA, Youtube) • Project Nim • A Delicate Balance: Deep Trouble (fish) • The Rise of the Planet of the Apes (fiction) • Maximum Tolerated Dose (must see) • Cat City (feral cats) • Behind the Mask (must see) • The Mad Cowboy, (must see, Youtube) • Cave of Forgotten Dreams • Star Trek Voyager episode: Scientific Method • River of Waste (environment, Youtube) • Our Daily Bread (factory farm documentary, Youtube) • Vegucated (must see) • Bold Native (fiction, Youtube) • The Meatrix (short animation, Youtube) • The Stork is a Bird of War (short animation, Youtube) Films we did not see but should have • The Skin Trade (fur trade) • Lolita (about marine mammal captivity) • Moon Bear (Animals Asia) • The Ghosts in Our Machine (just came out) • The Animals Film (similar to Earthlings, Youtube) • Speciesism (not out yet) • Animals are not ours to eat (Peta) Films we did not see (cont’d) • How I Became an Elephant • Green: the Movie (online) • Sharkwater • The Cove • selected short videos on the theme of non- violence (e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • Seasons in Hell: Charles S. Johnson and the 1930 Liberian Labor Crisis Phillip James Johnson Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2004 Seasons in hell: Charles S. Johnson and the 1930 Liberian Labor Crisis Phillip James Johnson Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Johnson, Phillip James, "Seasons in hell: Charles S. Johnson and the 1930 Liberian Labor Crisis" (2004). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 3905. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/3905 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. SEASONS IN HELL: CHARLES S. JOHNSON AND THE 1930 LIBERIAN LABOR CRISIS A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of History by Phillip James Johnson B. A., University of New Orleans, 1993 M. A., University of New Orleans, 1995 May 2004 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My first debt of gratitude goes to my wife, Ava Daniel-Johnson, who gave me encouragement through the most difficult of times. The same can be said of my mother, Donna M. Johnson, whose support and understanding over the years no amount of thanks could compensate. The patience, wisdom, and good humor of David H. Culbert, my dissertation adviser, helped enormously during the completion of this project; any student would be wise to follow his example of professionalism.
    [Show full text]
  • “Biomedical Scientists' Recognition and Alleviation of Pain And
    “Biomedical scientists’ recognition and alleviation of pain and distress in laboratory rats and mice” Valerie Parkison, BS Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine Center for Animals and Public Policy Allen Rutberg, PhD Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine Center for Animals and Public Policy Jan E. Dizard, PhD Amherst College Department of Anthropology and Sociology Overview Scientific research on animals is a well-publicized ethical debate in our society. In part because of increasing attention to this issue, national legislation regarding laboratory animal welfare was created in 1966 with the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and has been strengthened in the recent decades with its subsequent amendments, particularly the 1985 Improved Standards for Laboratory Animals. A separate law, the Health Research Extension Act, was also passed in 1985. However, research has shown that these regulations are not implemented uniformly throughout individual laboratories and institutions. Therefore, laboratory animals are not always adequately or equally protected among institutions. This variation is mainly due to the subjective nature of what constitutes proper laboratory animal use. For example, both of the above-mentioned laws require scientists’ to recognize and minimize “pain and distress” in their research animals, but does not provide definitions of these states or directions for minimization. Therefore, because each research institution is left to its own interpretation of the regulations, the laws are difficult to enforce in a standardized manner. If the regulations are to work as intended on a broad scale, the intricacies of applying these welfare regulations must be understood by and represented from the viewpoint of those directly involved – the scientists.
    [Show full text]
  • Necessary Or Cruel? Brainstorming a Topic to Write
    Enger 1 Marie Enger Andrea Barnes WR 121-024 12 November 2010 Animal Testing: Necessary or Cruel? Brainstorming a topic to write about proved to be quite a challenge. Following the advice of my professor, I attempted to locate a subject of deep interest to me, a subject I could explore, discover, and learn from. As a Zoology major with a Pre-Veterinary option, I thought about what subjects would be handy to know in the future. After a short time scrolling through Google, I carne across the topic of animal testing. One would assume that a young lady with such a passion for animals would have an opinion on such a subject. Surprisingly, I held no such opinion; in fact, upon further examination I realized that I held absolutely no knowledge about animal research whatsoever. I realized that my knowledge of animal testing was limited to the overly opinionated comments of animal research antagonists. These animal rights activists accuse scientists who experiment on animals of being merciless and immoral. I began to wonder why I had only heard about the negative consequences of animal testing. It must be doing something good for the human race if it continues despite constant opposition from animal rights groups and the public. As I join the discussion about animal testing I hope to discover whether or not it should be a means to further medical and scientific progress. The first step to my self-education in the field of animal research was to find a source that could clearly layout all sides of the matter.
    [Show full text]
  • Autobiography of a Revolutionary
    Autobiography of a Revolutionary Roberto Kolechofsky Jews for Animal Rights y membership in the Animal Rights Movement was unpredictable. I did not join the movement. I was cata­ Editors' Note: M pulted into it. I did not go looking for it. I did not know it existed. I turned a page An incorrect identification in a book, I turned a corner in the universe and was confronted with a terrible evil. But now I of affiliation for Roberta know, and my life has changed. An immense Kalechofsky was made in the detour in myself, foremost as a writer, has developed. I ache for myoid themes, the Summer 1989 issue. See page material ofJewish-Christian relations I explored in Bodmin, or the first five centuries of 210 of this issue. Christianity I had come to know so well I could itemize the goods lying on the wharves of Ostia where slaves and animals for the gladiatorial ©Roberta Kalechofsky, 1989 AUTOBIOGRAPHY Fall 1989 233 Between the species Autobiography ofa Revoluti07Ulry combats disembarked from foreign shores, to die place of "knOWledge'; I was raised to believe that for the entertainment of an over-ripe civilization. I God knew everything I did, and everything I did worry about whether I will ever again have time to mattered. That impression of a direct line write about these themes and ages, the centuries between me and God faded as I matured, but which formed my first notions of barbarity, of cru­ enough remained so that when it was evident elties in well-worn traditions. Ah! the blessings of that my husband and I were going to marry an historical framework, even for barbarism.
    [Show full text]
  • Democracy, Dialogue, and the Animal Welfare Act
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Michigan School of Law University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform Volume 51 2018 Beyond Rights and Welfare: Democracy, Dialogue, and the Animal Welfare Act Jessica Eisen Harvard Law School Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjlr Part of the Animal Law Commons, Law and Philosophy Commons, and the Science and Technology Law Commons Recommended Citation Jessica Eisen, Beyond Rights and Welfare: Democracy, Dialogue, and the Animal Welfare Act, 51 U. MICH. J. L. REFORM 469 (2018). Available at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjlr/vol51/iss3/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform at University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform by an authorized editor of University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BEYOND RIGHTS AND WELFARE: DEMOCRACY, DIALOGUE, AND THE ANIMAL WELFARE ACT Jessica Eisen* ABSTRACT The primary frameworks through which scholars have conceptualized legal pro- tections for animals—animal “rights” and animal “welfare”—do not account for socio-legal transformation or democratic dialogue as central dynamics of animal law. The animal “rights” approach focuses on the need for limits or boundaries preventing animal use, while the animal “welfare” approach advocates balancing harm to animals against human benefits from animal use. Both approaches rely on abstract accounts of the characteristics animals are thought to share with humans and the legal protections they are owed as a result of those traits.
    [Show full text]
  • Between the Species
    1 BETWEEN THE SPECIES Reflections on Tom Regan and the Animal Rights Movement That Once Was Gary L. Francione Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of Law and Nicholas deB. Katzenbach Scholar of Law and Philosophy Rutgers University School of Law New Jersey, U.S.A. Honorary Professor (Philosophy) School of Politics, Philosophy, and Language and Communication Studies University of East Anglia Norwich, U.K. Volume 21, Issue 1 Spring 2018 http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/bts/ 2 Gary L. Francione The Beginning of a Real Rights Movement Let me set the scene: On July 15, 1985, a group of approxi- mately 100 animal rights activists, one of whom is Tom Regan, have taken over a building at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. They are protesting head-injury experiments that are being conducted on baboons at the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania (Penn) Medical School. The protesters have announced that they will occupy the building unless and until the government agrees to at least suspend funding for the lab pending a full investigation. The government is threatening to arrest the protesters if they do not leave. As a large group of exhausted, unwashed, and nervous pro- testors crowded around him in rapt attention in a large but cramped NIH office, fearing their apparently inevitable arrest, Tom calmed and refocused them by recounting the history of nonviolent protest in various social movements and by reas- suring them about how such protest had been crucial to those struggles. Tom was a terrific storyteller, and his tales and his knowledge of social justice movements engaged and energized this group day after day for almost four days straight, helping the protestors regain their courage and understand how what they were doing was important, both as a matter of our opposi- tion to the experiments we were protesting and as part of our greater goal to achieve justice for nonhuman animals.
    [Show full text]
  • Against All Odds.Indd
    AGAINST ALL ODDS politicians. The Animal Liberation Front: its actions against vivisection. 2) The animal rights movement cannot survive without small but concrete victories in the short term and a realistic possibility of achieving permanent change in the long term. The direct action campaign consistently provides This article traces the history of the early anti-vivisection raids and shows those victories, be it a handful of laboratory animals rescued, be it exposing how throughout the seventies the Band of Mercy and later the ALF were the reality of vivisection or by causing extensive damage to the machinery steadily growing in strength, setting the scene for the early eighties which of animal abuse. Without the direct action campaign the animal liberation was to see the advent of the mass movement for animal liberation. movement amounts to little more than a debating point about the morality The Northern Animal Liberation League: of our treatment of animals. the theory behind the actions. While the ALF continued into the 80s relying on small cells of activists, 3) Despite the prime importance of the direct action campaign, the the NALL called for large scale invasions of laboratory sites. We examine strength of the movement cannot be measured by the number of actions the very different aims of the NALL to those of the ALF, and pay tribute that take place in any period, and certainly not in the militancy of a handful to this group who first called for theory and policies within the direct ac- of activists. The strength of the movement can only be measured in the tion animal movement.
    [Show full text]
  • Proquest Dissertations
    INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI* Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 EDUCATING THE PROPER WOMAN READER: VICTORIAN FAMILY LITERARY MAGAZINES AND THE PROFESSIONALIZATION OF LITERARY CRITICISM Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Jennifer Phegley, M.A.
    [Show full text]
  • UNLOCKING the LABORATORY DOOR and SHINING LIGHT on the INADEQUACIES & CONTRADICTIONS of the ANIMAL WELFARE ACT Karina L
    Western New England Law Review Volume 33 33 (2011) Article 6 Issue 3 1-1-2011 ANIMAL LAW—CULTIVATING COMPASSIONATE LAW: UNLOCKING THE LABORATORY DOOR AND SHINING LIGHT ON THE INADEQUACIES & CONTRADICTIONS OF THE ANIMAL WELFARE ACT Karina L. Schrengohst Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.law.wne.edu/lawreview Recommended Citation Karina L. Schrengohst, ANIMAL LAW—CULTIVATING COMPASSIONATE LAW: UNLOCKING THE LABORATORY DOOR AND SHINING LIGHT ON THE INADEQUACIES & CONTRADICTIONS OF THE ANIMAL WELFARE ACT, 33 W. New Eng. L. Rev. 855 (2011), http://digitalcommons.law.wne.edu/lawreview/vol33/iss3/6 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Review & Student Publications at Digital Commons @ Western New England University School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Western New England Law Review by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Western New England University School of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. \\jciprod01\productn\W\WNE\33-3\WNE305.txt unknown Seq: 1 29-SEP-11 13:43 ANIMAL LAW—CULTIVATING COMPASSIONATE LAW : UNLOCK­ ING THE LABORATORY DOOR AND SHINING LIGHT ON THE INADE­ QUACIES & CONTRADICTIONS OF THE ANIMAL WELFARE ACT “Universally, humans exploit and kill other animals because legally they can.”1 INTRODUCTION The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) re­ ported that there were 124,385 nonhuman primates confined in lab­ oratories in 2009.2 Of those confined, 70,444 primates were used in laboratory research.3 Of those used in research, 1,711 primates were used in painful procedures, but their pain was not alleviated because pain-relieving drugs would have interfered with or compro­ mised the research.4 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Join Us in Saving 55,000 Children and 600 Million Homeless Dogs, and Then Homeless Cats!
    Join us in saving 55,000 children and 600 million homeless dogs, and then homeless cats! Every 10 minutes: A child dies from rabies ... according to the World Health Organization. Every 10 minutes: 200 people suffer from painful rabies injections. Every 10 minutes: 11,000 homeless puppies are born. Every year 55,000 people, mostly children, die from rabies. Almost all are infected by stray dogs. Rabies is a painful way to die, involving convulsions so violent, that many infected children must be literally tied down by their hands and feet, and they are kept tied down ... until they die. Another disturbing fact: By the time any symptoms appear in humans, it’s too late, and death is guaranteed. Yes, you read that correctly: by the time symptoms appear, it is 100% fatal ... and there is no cure. So what can be done? Right now the primary action being taken is to: Kill the stray dogs ... or attempt to carry out the labor-intensive process of physically capturing each dog one at a time, and then manually vaccinating each dog one at a time. There are an estimated 600 million stray dogs worldwide, who give birth each year to an estimated one billion homeless puppies - who continue to reproduce uncontrolled, repeating the cycle. Many live in a constant state of hunger, and suffer from painful diseases which are never treated. Most die in pain before the age of three. We have a better way. Spay and Neuter Cookies are being developed to end this suffering. Once completed, a single edible Cookie will safely sterilize a stray - without surgery - and pave the way to ending the stray dog overpopulation problem, and preventing the deaths of the 55,000 children who currently die each year due to rabies from stray dogs.
    [Show full text]
  • Our Goal: No More Factory Farms N
    augustusCLUB PETA’s Gift & Estate Planning Club PETA’s Gift & Estate Planning Club What the New Tax Law Can Mean for Animals by Steve Martindale, PETA Foundation augustus Senior Gift Planning Specialist CLUB On December 17, 2010, President Obama signed into law Income Tax Issue No. 55 | Winter 2011 a tax bill that affects everyone who has a U.S. income. But You may have heard that the low income-tax rates of the what does it mean? Some of the provisions are important last few years have been extended through 2012, but how for us as we fi gure out how to support PETA in the most does that affect your donations? If you itemize deductions effi cient way possible. So let’s take a moment to review how on your tax return, gifts to PETA may lower your federal to save more animals by having less money go to the IRS. tax by the percentage of your tax bracket. For example, if INGRID’S MESSAGE Here’s a cheat sheet. you are in the 25 percent tax bracket, contributing $1,000 to PETA would lower your taxes by $250, depending on Our Goal: Charitable IRA Rollover some limitations and other factors of your tax return. If you are 70½ or older, you are required to take distributions from your standard IRA, even if you don’t need Capital Gains No More Factory Farms the money. And anytime that you withdraw funds from an For people in the 25 percent income-tax bracket and IRA, income taxes must be paid on those distributions.
    [Show full text]