'A Pork Chop Stops a Beating Heart' Message Offers Food for Thought to People on Both Sides of Fierce Debate
For Immediate Release:
March 26, 2013
Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382
Fargo, N.D. -- Offering the animal protectionists' take on "right to life" and "choice," PETA is now negotiating with Fargo-area outdoor advertisers to display a billboard that shows a picture of a little pig peering up at the world and reads, "A Pork Chop Stops a Beating Heart. Go Vegan." The ad comes as Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed a bill today that bans abortion if a fetal heartbeat is detected—something that can happen six weeks into a pregnancy—giving North Dakota the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country. PETA's point? That no matter where we stand on abortion, we can save a life every time we sit down to eat. If you're pro-life, it only makes sense to adopt a vegan diet. If you're pro-choice, it's important to remember that the billions of animals raised and killed for food every year never have a choice in the matter. PETA is starting the campaign in Fargo, North Dakota's largest city, before expanding it to other cities.
"Each of us holds the power to save a life or take a life when we choose a meal," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "Going vegan is a positive, life-affirming way of eating that is good for our arteries, the Earth, and animals."
In today's industrialized meat and dairy industries, chickens and turkeys have their throats cut while they're still conscious, piglets have their tails and testicles cut off without being given painkillers, fish are cut open while they're still alive on the decks of fishing boats, and calves are taken away from their mothers within hours of birth, which is extremely distressing to both mother and calf. The majority of animals killed for human consumption are just babies who have yet to see their first birthday.
Animals raised and killed for food aren't the only ones who suffer. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that vegetarians have lower rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer than meat-eaters do. Meat, eggs, and dairy products are loaded with artery-clogging saturated fat and cholesterol. Raising animals for food is also a major source of water pollution and land degradation.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
