Seriously? PETA just doesn't have a clue.
I did in fact send my Open Letter to PETA yesterday to Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA. Color me shocked when I actually received a response from a real-live human being: Ms. Carrie Snider, Special Projects Coordinator for PETA.
Here it is:
FROM: Carrie Snider [CarrieS@peta.org]
TO: Me
DATE: Tue, Apr 5, 2011 at 2:50 PM
SUBJECT: RE: An Open Letter to PETA re: "Win a Vasectomy"
mailed-bypeta.org
Dear Ms. Zoll,
Ms. Newkirk is currently traveling and unable to respond, so I am answering your letter on her behalf.
While we recognize that infertility is a difficult issue for many people, we continue to support adoption of human children and companion animals alike. With nearly 7 billion people on the planet, and a crisis of vanishing resources, it is crucial-- for humans and animals -- that we curb our reproductive habits.
Respectfully,
Carrie Snider
Special Projects Coordinator
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
How kind of you to respond, Ms. Snider. Unfortunately, you failed to address about 99% of what I had to say in my original letter. Perhaps I need to clarify:
FROM: Me
TO: Carrie Snider [CarrieS@peta.org]
DATE: Tue, Apr 5, 2011 at 3:40 PM
SUBJECT: Re: An Open Letter to PETA re: "Win a Vasectomy"
mailed-bygmail.com
Good afternoon Ms. Snider,
Thank you for your prompt response; I was fully expecting my email to float into the ether.
While adoption is certainly a wonderful option for many families, it is a family building resolution, not a cure for a prolific global disease. The WHO estimates infertility may impact as many as 1 in 4 women globally. And yet, there are many who believe infertility is not a disease, despite official statements from leading health organizations like the WHO. Your response to me confirms this as you refer to infertility as merely a "difficult issue." There is a level of cultural silencing and shaming around infertility that events like National Infertility Awareness Week seek to combat.
The "Win a Vasectomy" campaign from your organization only compounds the work we have to do to dispel this cultural shaming and exacerbates tired, canned responses to the issue of infertility. Overpopulation as justification fails to respond to a legitimate medical disease and invalidates the emotional and physical experiences of 7.3 million people in the US alone.
Additionally, I should not have to "curb" my reproductive "habits" - for an organization that concerns itself with animals, it seems to be PETA line to only have a rudimentary understanding of basic animal biological imperative. Reproduction is hardly habit; it is animal instinct. For humans, it is both right and privilege.
PETA's campaign misses the mark on so many levels and has left me and hundreds of others who have since read my blog today hurt and disgusted that PETA would stoop as low as to insult and demean a medical patient population as vast as the infertility community.
I hope Ms. Newkirk can find the time to respond, as this campaign is not only a mockery of everything that National Infertility Awareness Week seeks to promote, but is a cruel execution of a kitsch promotional concept at the expense of millions of patients for whom infertility is no laughing matter.
~Keiko Zoll
Again, I honestly didn't think I'd receive a response. Oh that Carrie, she's a fighter! She even pulled the "I'm making this sound like an apology without actually apologizing" card!
FROM: Carrie Snider [CarrieS@peta.org]
TO: Me
DATE: Tue, Apr 5, 2011 at 5:07 PM
SUBJECT: RE: An Open Letter to PETA re: "Win a Vasectomy"
mailed-bypeta.org
Dear Ms. Zoll,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this issue. I’m afraid Ms. Newkirk is traveling, but I want you to know that your concerns are heard. I think we both have important points, and I share your concern for the sensitivities of would-be parents. Please know that our intention was not at all to mock, but to push for an overall lower birth rate for all humans and companion animals.
I can see that this is very painful for you and your community, and for that we’re sorry. I hope we can share a vision of a future where a sustainable human and animal population means no need for such a contest.
Sincerely,
Carrie Snider
Special Projects Coordinator
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
So... PETA is sorry that this is painful for me and that I've been offended... but they're not sorry for their campaign. They're not sorry for insulting and invalidating the medical conditions of millions of men and women. Their intention was not to mock... and yet they managed to do so in perhaps one of the most insensitive, asinine ways possible. Thanks PETA, for your passive-aggressive non-committal apology without really apologizing.
Well, I guess it's the sorriest response I could have expected.
Stay classy, PETA. Oh wait, this is a concept completely lost on you.
SOLIDARITY: Letters/Posts to PETA
Openly Condemning the "Win a Vasectomy" Campaign
Openly Condemning the "Win a Vasectomy" Campaign
50 comments:
It's bad enough we have to fight against the ignorance of family, friends, co-workers, and complete strangers... but yeah, let's have some big organization like PETA enter a throw down with us too. My email to the president didn't even go through. This is disgusting. So, why aren't they advocating to fertiles to curb the population and adopt, why aren't they giving out "free human adoptions"- you know, every adoption book I read said not to look at it as saving a child, because that's not what you're doing. It's not the same as adopting a cat or dog, how dare they even insinuate that it is. And I'd like to know how many children their staff has adopted with this same mindset ;( This response just makes me more angry than before!
You are my HERO. Thank you, thank you, thank you for doing this!!!!
By their own standards, I hope no one at PETA has children by choice. I can't believe how ignorant they sound!!
Suzanne
I really want to write something to PETA, but I'm just so speechless right now at there ignornance and offensive campaign. I'm so angry I can't from a coherent post.
Has anyone informed RESOLVE.org about this?
Well done, Keiko
Oh geez, they are ridiculous. I'm just flabbergasted that anyone thought this insane campaign was a good idea--and that they seem incapable of seeing what's so bad about it! Thank you for standing up on behalf of all us infertiles!
I just re-read that second response you got from Carrie, and the question that pops to my mind is: who the fuck gave them the right to ask for lower birth rate?
Would they seriously think the same if their parents had decided to comply with this campaign before either of them was born?
I for one will NOT stop the letters, tweeting, and facebooking (is that a term? lol) until they remove the infertility reference. This is sick and wrong and I will NOT be quiet.
Thank you, deeply, for being our voice! I am astounded that PETA continues to stand by its suggestion that animal population in any way correlates to or even can be used in conjunction with any notions that the world is 'over populated' with humans. Even if we take the infertility aspect out of this (and I too suffer(ed) with IF and am a member of Resolve), putting human reproduction and animal reproduction in the same category sets a VERY dangerous precedent.
Thanks for being such a strong voice in this community. PETA doesn't give a crap about who they insult in their campaigns. In fact the louder the victims scream the happier they are. And we should continue to scream.
Keiko,
WOW, just wow. The adoption card. I can't even believe it. I'm stunned. What an ignorant insensitive thing to say. I love your reply. Very nicely done!!
If PETA cares so freaking much about human overpopulation and are such wonderful advocates for adoption as the cure to every infertile's woes...
Why don't they pay the adoption fees for one infertile couple? Wouldn't THAT be a better way to "honor" NIAW? While still hewing to their "human reproduction is bad, but only when infertile people want to do it" line?
I can only hope and pray that the people behind this campaign are not this insensitive to the IFers in their own lives. But I'm sure they are.
It is amazing how ignorant (and sure in their ignorance) people can be. It is so clear now that PETA is nothing but a fringe organization with this campaign (and their response to the criticism). I will never understand why the overpopulation argument inevitably comes out in any discussion on infertility. Infertiles are clearly not responsible for any population issues. Shouldn't they just be working for access to birth control for fertiles if this is their agenda? And their argument that people are running animals off the planet wholesale is ridiculous, though they clearly have their stake with animals over humans, as if it isn't possible for us to peacefully coexist. I would venture a guess that most of PETA's highest officers and biggest supporters have ::gasp:: biological children. Last time I checked, this was not a crime. Neither is seeking medical treatment in order to have children. Their exploitation of NIAW in an attempt to further their cause is so blatantly offensive, that I am not surprised that they are not willing to acknowledge or retract it.
Thanks for fighting the good fight with them! :)
Kate
Thank you for bringing this to our attention and for trying to bring reason and light to this devastating disease--it's a shame you're having to converse with unreasonable people! I'm writing to them, posting on my Facebook and I'm going to blog about it. AGH!
Your letter is well written but I have to say I am not offended by this, people will still get vasectomies if infertility exists or not.
I'm sure I will make a lot of infertile people mad but I think it's a harmless ad and people get offended over things taken out of context...
I struggle with infertility and have gone through 6 HARD ivf cycles, with 4 miscarriages (all while loosing my mother to cancer) it has been a painful process and I have been there but this doesn't offend me at all, animals should be "fixed" and for some man that wants to also be "fixed" will win the contest not someone who is struggling with infertility.
Sorry if I offend anyone but I think we should all able to post our opinions..
I don't even know what to say about her absurd responses! Thank you for taking the time to correspond with her and speak for all of us. Kudos!
Anonymous - thanks for commenting. I'm not a comment deleter - I leave them up for all to see and I also take the time to respond. I leave anonymous commenting up but I'm thinking of taking it down only b/c I think it's pretty cowardly not to stand up with who you are behind your own words. I've got my name, face, and strong opinions of my own and I've pitted them up against PETA. I didn't hide behind "Anonymous" because I realized my message carries more weight when I stand up AS I am for my beliefs.
That said, it's unfortunate you don't see just how hurtful this campaign is to the broader IF community, of which you are a member. I don't care about vasectomies for people or animals. The issue is that this procedure (a choice to render oneself infertile) is being offered IN HONOR OF Nat'l IF Awareness Week. Again, it would be like if RESOLVE wanted to pay for the euthanasia of a shelter full of animals in honor of PETA's efforts for the animal community.
See the disconnect here? The bigger problem is that PETA has deliberately targeted a patient community. This campaign deliberately belittles this medical condition. Would you think this wasn't a big deal if this was about autistic kids? Or AIDS patients? How about the elderly with Alzheimer's? I think PETA is smart enough not to go after these much larger patient communities, but b/c infertility is already largely culturally silenced, they'll have a laugh at the intfertiles' expense.
It's disgusting, rude, offensive, and shameful. Honestly, it's nothing new. But the fact that they are linking to RESOLVE's NIAW site and associating it with a federally recognized health observance that works to educate the public about this disease is really the worst part, and they need to drop the link b/t this campaign and NIAW immediately.
Thank you for posting the ongoing conversation (such that it is). They've only solidified their ignorance and shamelessness.
Do they really think that the same people who would voluntarily get a vasectomy and end their family blood lineage for the sake of animals are the same ones having tons of children and un-neutered pets? Please. Let's not high-mind ourselves out of existence. Gee, imagine how much fun the planet will be for the cockroaches when we're all gone!
I am seriously disgusted! The way that they justify infertility with human over-population is ridiculous and incredibly insensitive. And then saying that they promote adoption of both humans and animals is ridiculous- clearly not the same thing. At all. In any way. This is ridiculous! And because its so easy to adopt, just like adopting an animal. I am in the adoption process currently and for the first time truly realizing why it isn't a good option for everyone. Its hard, and you accept a lot of things out of your control, and becoming a part of a new community that must educate and advocate daily. I will definitely be writing them as well. This is absolutely absurd!
My impression from her response (the initial response) is that in order to "curb our reproductive habits" we should just ignore the pain of infertility, basically for the greater good. My initial response (after cursing and blubbering) is that, by her line of thinking, we should stop funding AIDS and cancer research. You know, those sick humans are taking up lots of space and resources and if we just let them die off then it would free up some resources! Of course, I say this completely "tongue in cheek" and hopefully it is taken as ridiculously as "Carrie's" response.
Thank you for standing up and championing the cause of IF.
Oh yes, "just adopt!" Because we all know how EASY that is! Ack. While I have been able to have my own children, I know lots of families who have struggled through the pain, heartache and triumph of adoption and it is no picnic.
One more reason for me to absolutely hate PETA. They are morons.
I started a little quasi-protest this morning. I'd be delighted if you would re-post it! http://www.lifeinthelastfrontier.com/2011/04/so-i-was-thinking-about-this-peta-thing.html
Wow. Just, wow. Our "reproductive habits?" Because, yeah, being infertile and having a baby is just something I can't help, like biting my nails.
You know, I have a few acquaintances who are strong PETA followers and to be quite honest, they actually were the least sensitive to my IF and loss. One actually responded to my miscarriage as, "Oh, I thought something bad had happened, like one of your animals died."
Could it be that the reason we cannot reach them is because they actually believe that animal life is paramount to human life? I suspect this, in which case we will never receive understanding and I will never be able to get them, either.
Thank you, Keiko. This is an awesome, wonderful effort you are doing for our community!
Thank you for all you've done regarding this issue. I'm new to your blog because of the PETA letter and I say bravo! I've been spreading the word all morning to those on Facebook, linking to your blog and screen shot. Thank you again!
Wow, what a sincere and complete apology. "I'm sorry that you feel like it sucks that you're one of the people we think shouldn't reproduce." Thanks.
I too received an "apology" email from PETA in today's email.
"Thank you for contacting PETA about our contest offering a free vasectomy. We apologize if our contest has offended you as it was not our intent. We meant no offense, especially to those who are struggling to conceive. Please know that there are many people who wish to be sterilized—it’s those people that we’re aiming to reach."
It does go on for endless paragraphs about how I need to spay/neuter my pet.
"Thank you again for contacting us and for the opportunity to share our thoughts. I apologize again if the contest has offended you as it was not the intent.
Sincerely,
HollyAnne Dame
Membership Correspondent
PETA Foundation
757.962.8246
HollyAnneD@petaf.org"
I'm really tempted to respond to her but for now I'm going to hold my tongue, research and try to be polite again next time I email with my rebuttal.
I called PETA at 757-622-7382 to lodge my complaint and they are now sending everyone to a recorded message. It was highly offensive and basically said that everyone should just adopt since there are already too many people on the planet. I wonder why they chose to mention NIAW in the first place, as if they removed the one line referring to it, no one would care about their stupid contest. I can venture a guess that they are trying to get attention on the heels of RESOLVE. Klassy, indeed.
Can I assume all PETA employees are childless as well then? Or if they have children, they are ALL adopted? Based on this arguement, wouldn't having a child that is bio. theirs be the same as buying a pet from a breeder when there are perfectly good pets needing adoption?
You ROCK!! I posted on my blog, sent an email to Ingrid, and I'm telling everyone I know about your petition. THANK YOU!
Holy crap! I started looking into PETA and specifically Ingrid Newkirk a little more carefully and am wondering how their nuttiness got lost on me for so long. Did you know that Ingrid Newkirk's will idicates that her ears will be sent to Canada so that they can hear the screams of various animals?
Here's a couple of of the crazier quotes from Ingrid that demonstrates what a nut she really is and how little she or any of her cronies will understand anything we say:
“Humans have grown like a cancer. We're the biggest blight on the face of the earth.”
And she compares chicken slaughter to the holocaust!!:
“Six million people died in concentration camps, but six billion broiler chickens will die this year in slaughterhouses. [emphasis added]”
For more crazy Ingrid, read here: http://activistcash.com/biography_quotes.cfm/b/456-ingrid-newkirk
Bottom line is, I think we need to publically condemn this to educate non-PETA members, but not expect understanding from PETA themselves. That's like trying to talk sense into Charlie Sheen.
I think you are doing a great job! I am go glad everyone is willing to step up and say something to these idiots.
Also, not sure how my blog got on the Solidarity Blog/Letter list, but if you had added me GREAT! ;) I told everyone on my blog last night to make sure to check your post out from yesterday!
(p.s. mine is Corey and Sam TTC#1)
I wonder if Ms.Snider has "curbed her reproductive habits." Absurd.
This is very well worded. Thanks for sharing, Keiko.
I can't help but mention that even those who advocate zero population growth allow for each couple to have two children to replace themselves. Or that adoption comes from other humans reproducing, and therefore does not in any way curb population growth. Or that the greater amount of population growth is coming from the third world, and it is a growth fueled by poverty and lack of power and education of women.
Improving education and equal economic access in females has been shown to decrease population, as they are more likely to choose to limit family size. But "Give away schooling to a woman in the third world" is just not that interesting when we can insult 15% of the US population.
I would love to see every employee of PETA pledge to sterilize themselves, at risk of losing their livelihood. Put your money where your mouth is, PETA!
I just put a picture up on my blog of my son, and labeled it Ingrid E. Newkirk, President
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Thinks I Should Never Have Been Born. I am so furious with PETA.
Amazing, just amazing! Thanks for being such a strong voice in/for this community.
Okay, I'm going to be a super brave voice on your blog and disagree. (gasp!).
Here's where I disagree: There are a ton of people out there that aught to have vasectomies. I think many of our world's problems and social ills could be solved with people being responsible about their reproduction. I think more people should promote responsible reproduction. This has nothing to do with those suffering from infertility and our inability to start a family if we want.
Okay, the campaign is crass and lacks class. However, it has nothing to do with me or the pain I feel because I can't get pregnant and that my husband has no sperm count. I personally don't find it offensive and I don't think they are intentionally trying to hurt the members of our community. I am saddened that so many ARE hurt by it, tho. It's unfortunate that their campaign coincides with National Infertility Awareness Week.
Instead of writing letters and fueling the flames (PETA likes that), I do to them what I do to the obnoxious political people who put out posters of Obama with a Hitler mustache in the train station.
Walk on by.
Thanks for hearing me out. (Please don't hate me for disagreeing!)
~Jem (non-PETA supporter, and IF blogger)
*Applause*
Their response is so typical of someone who doesn't understand infertility at all. It is as if she is saying that PETA supports infertility because it is a natural means of population control and that basically we should all be thrilled that we are able to contribute to this cure by having been born or having become infertile ourselves.
It is so bizarre, and so lacking in understanding or compassion. How is it possible that PETA has reduced the plight of infertile couples around the world, who did not choose to be infertile, and who fight every day to overcome their infertility, to being no different than the problems of animal population control?
I've never seen your blog before today, but it's great. Thank you! I also sent an email to PETA today:
___________________________
I would like you to know that your campaign to give away a vasectomy in honour of National Infertility Awareness has had a tremendous impact on me.
In November I gave birth to a baby girl after a very long and painful journey through infertility. My husband and I have also been pursuing adoption to build our family. Perhaps you are unaware of how difficult it is to adopt children today. We are in our twenties. We are considered too young to adopt older children and so are only eligible to adopt kids under the age of twenty-four months, as advised by our social worker. It is now nearly impossible to adopt a child from Asia (up to 8 years on a wait-list) and thanks to irresponsible adoptive parents in the United States the doors to Russian adoptions have been slammed shut. We are left only with the very competetive options of Canada, Ethiopia, Haiti and South Africa, and each of these are a very long wait.
Thankfully, we have become parents through IVF and a giggling little red-haired baby is sitting in my lap as I type this to you. She was worth the thirteen months of painful and humiliating treatments I received, but make no mistake - infertility was absolutely the most difficult thing I have ever dealt with in my life. I cried every single day as I grieved the child I didn't have in my arms. I am grateful that all of you at PETA who came up with this campaign clearly have no idea how difficult it is to go through this very painful experience.
I am a life-long pet owner. We always adopt from local shelters, and we take extremely good care of our animals. I see zero connection between responsible pet ownership and making fun of people who can't conceive children.
So. In honour of National Infertility Awareness Week you're going to give away a vasectomy? Cool. I'd like to respond with a similar gesture to all of you.
In honour of PETA's Free Vasectomy Giveaway I will eat meat every single day for the month of April, and twice a day during National Infertility Awareness Week. And I'm going to eat a lot of it. And I'm going to think of you every time I go to the grocery store to do my shopping. At the end of April we'll celebrate with the biggest, meatiest barbecue you can imagine. It's going to be delicious.
So thank you, PETA, for simplifying my meal planning for the month of April. Those cows, pigs and chickens are going to be such a great tribute to your asshattery.
__________________________
I hope this gives them some idea of how disgusting their campaign is.
here is what they sent to me in their automated response...
'Having one’s own child may be a compelling urge, but it isn’t helpful to act on all our urges, no matter how strong.'
-how condescending! my eyes almost popped out of my head when i read that...did they actually write that?! and then...
'The issue is not whether one is infertile but whether it is responsible to keep adding people to a planet whose resources are already being stretched.'
-well, if the issue isn't about infertility, maybe they shouldn't have attached this campaign to national infertility awareness week, right? then...
'Since most of the e-mails we are receiving from people who’ve read about our contest on infertility blogs are quite uncivil, perhaps some soul searching needs to be done on the part of those who would rather throw stones than engage in discourse.'
-it is interesting that they are sending automated replies and taped phone messages to any complaints they are receiving about this campaign- they threw the first stone, and then deny the ability to 'engage' in discourse.
very disappointing, PETA!! they should know to pull the plug, they made a mistake, but instead, they are standing by their mistake and actually defending it with the most offensive, stale rhetoric about how infertiles should 'just adopt'. very disappointing. seriously, they should put their money where their mouths are and give their children up for adoption or sterilize themselves... they don't see how foolish this makes them appear.
You wrote very eloquently, sensitively and intelligently. I am really proud of you.
PETA has a history of misinformation and flippant disregard for the truth. I have never supported their organisation on those grounds.
I hope this latest campaign is the beginning of the end for PETA, they have truly overstepped the line here.
I'm sure those at PETA who are heading this campaign are all easy breeders who have never known the pain of IF.
@ Jem:
Thank you so much for your comment. I'm (rarely) a comment deleter b/c I think it's important to keep the discourse going. I agree - this is one of those times where I've weighed the idea of just ignoring it. But that's the problem that our community faces culturally - as a patient community, WE are ignored. While you may not personally take offense, PETA's campaign IS offensive. I'm reposting from another comment, but here's why:
The issue is that this procedure (a choice to render oneself infertile) is being offered IN HONOR OF Nat'l IF Awareness Week. Again, it would be like if RESOLVE wanted to pay for the euthanasia of a shelter full of animals in honor of PETA's efforts for the animal community.
See the disconnect here? The bigger problem is that PETA has deliberately targeted a patient community. This campaign deliberately belittles this medical condition. Would you think this wasn't a big deal if this was about autistic kids? Or AIDS patients? How about the elderly with Alzheimer's? I think PETA is smart enough not to go after these much larger patient communities, but b/c infertility is already largely culturally silenced, they'll have a laugh at the intfertiles' expense.
It's disgusting, rude, offensive, and shameful. Honestly, it's nothing new. But the fact that they are linking to RESOLVE's NIAW site and associating it with a federally recognized health observance that works to educate the public about this disease is really the worst part, and they need to drop the link b/t this campaign and NIAW immediately.
We can't expect others to fight our battles for us, so when we are so blatantly mocked as a community, the community must respond.
This is disgusting, but thanks for bringing it to our attention and fighting for us all! I've signed the petition, want to blog about it too but can't get my head around it yet... My DH is all worked up, tweeting, and calling PETA (also getting the recorded message...). And he tells me we should all tweet to Bill Maher too. He's on PETA's board of directors...
Hmmm, I don't think I can add much to what everyone else has already said.
If you believe there is overpopulation fine. But why is it the responsibility of infertile folk to solve the problem of overpopulation? Do not the fertile folk also have this responsibility?
That is one of the oddest things I have ever heard.
Once again the infertile are expected to save the world, save the children ... what else should we be expected to do?
I'm not infertile but have ended up reading a number of blogs written by those in the IF community. What utter and total assholes! Based on their statements and campaigns I've long considered PETA extreme and somewhat ridiculous, but they have just lost every shred of my respect. As you mentioned in your open letter, the general concept would have been fine up until they stated the campaign was being run "in honor of" infertility awareness. There is no way I can interpret this as anything but a snide, uncaring, and downright cruel gesture. They deserve every bit of blowback they are getting, and then some.
PETA doesn't give a crap about ANYONE with ANY medical condition, because they are opposed to biomedical research involving animals. Since ALL biomedical research ultimately involves animals, they apparently would rather we all die of preventable conditions than approve of animal research.
I'm sure that when PETA supporters go to the hospital with a life-threatening condition, that they make sure not to avail themselves of any medical technology that has been developed using animal research. Oh, wait, that's impossible. What hypocrites.
Never mind that laboratory research animals are treated more humanely than pets or humans in the clinic, because of the incredibly stringent institutional guidelines binding animal research (rightly so). So they're not only being assholes about the infertility thing for the reasons ya'll have mentioned, but if they had their way with research, there would be NO SUCH THING AS IVF, or just about any other medical breakthrough of the last century.
My question is...has Ms. Snider "curbed" her reproductive "habits"...and how many employees/volunteers of PETA have "curbed" their reproductive "habits".
Those responses are more insulting than the campaign! Like many of your other commenters, I'd also like to know how much of their own medicine the staff has taken. How many of them would choose to sterilize themselves & adopt instead? Ever if they would, at least it would be a CHOICE! None of us were given any choice on this. I will not ever trivialized the plight of many children around the world. But if it's their goal to bring attention to THAT, why not do their campaign in "honor" of an orphanage? Or in "honor" of correct sex education for teens? Why single out the IF community? We're CLEARLY not the root of this problem & i don't think it's our responsibility to "fix" it. (i hope this doesn't sound anti-adoption, because i'm not. but, if i adopt in the future, i will feel blessed to have the child in my life & the ability to nuture; not get up on a pedestal because i've "rescued" some child!)
You are AWESOME for shining the spotlight back on their stupidity! I don't often have the courage to share my struggle with all my friends, but I'm posting this on FB.
I cannot read continue reading this. how are you or me contributing to 7 billions people overpopulated the earth? I hope won't take this the wrong way but wouldn't they think it's more the China and India that produce more citizens than people that cannot have children? And on top of that, we're adopting and I wish it was as easy as going down the street to a local shelter to adopt a kitty. I though that this campain is just unfortunate and bad timing, I didn't realize they are serious.
Keiko, you hit the nail on the head with this: "The issue is that this procedure (a choice to render oneself infertile) is being offered IN HONOR OF Nat'l IF Awareness Week. Again, it would be like if RESOLVE wanted to pay for the euthanasia of a shelter full of animals in honor of PETA's efforts for the animal community."
That's exactly it. PETA isn't really about saving or protecting animals. It's about ending animal "ownership". Their end goal is that cruelty to animals will stop when there are NO MORE animals. "No more people" is fine with them as well, based on a belief that it is better to not be born at all than to be born and suffer. It's a deeply twisted organization founded by a deeply damaged person.
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