8th grader creates Premarin mare advocacy website
From All-Creatures.org Animal Rights Activism Articles Archive

FROM

Animal Law Coalition
April 2016

An Eighth-grader from Alabama contacted Animal Law Coalition to gather information about Premarin mares. Our young advocate had heard about the cruel conditions the mares were kept in while their urine was collected to make menopausal treatment drugs.

This animal loving 8th grader asked all the right questions.

She then asked how she could help educate people about the plight of these magnificent horses. We mentioned building a website to tell the world about Premarin mares is a great way to advocate for the horses.

After a few months we received an e-mail proudly announcing the launching of a new animal advocacy website built by this Alabama 8th grade student!

From her website: The PMU Industry: Raising awareness to save horses in peril:

What does PMU mean?

PMU stands for Pregnant Mares’ Urine. Pfizer harvests the urine of pregnant mares to make menopausal drugs: Premarin, PremPro, PremPhase, and DUAVEE.

PMU Farms

While a horse is pregnant at a PMU farm, they must stand in tight stalls where they can’t move very much, if at all. They have to wear an uncomfortable harness which scrapes and chafes their skin. The mares’ water intake is reduced so their urine contains a higher hormone potency. After each mare’s 11- to 12-month pregnancy, they are reimpregnated and continue for another year. The foals, and the mares when they are no longer fertile, are often sent to slaughter. PMU farms exist in Canada, China, Kazakhstan, and Poland. In 2015, there were 90,000 pregnant mares on PMU Farms in China alone.

PMU Drugs

The U.S. is the top consumer of PMU drugs. Women who take Premarin (PREgnant MARes’ urINe), Pfizer’s top selling PMU drug, experience an increased risk of blood clots, dementia, heart attacks, heart disease, and stroke. Taking PMU drugs isn’t the only option for women to manage their menopausal symptoms. They can decrease symptoms by making lifestyle changes such as eating healthily, getting enough exercise, and managing stress. Some plants, called phytoestrogens, contain estrogens, like flaxseed, soybeans, and alfalfa sprouts. There are also synthetic drugs which don’t come from the PMU industry, although they may not reduce symptoms as well as PMU drugs.

What can you do?

  1.  If you know anyone who uses Premarin, Prempro, DUAVEE, or any other PMU drug, inform them about the PMU industry and encourage them to talk to their doctor about an alternative.
  2. Spread the word about the PMU industry to everyone you know and encourage them to also boycot PMU drugs from Pfizer.
  3. Petition to Pfizer with complaints about their treatment of PMU horses.

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