Published in THE JOURNAL NEWS, May 3, 2003
On April 27, Animal Defenders of Westchester held a
demonstration against the annual March of Dimes Walkathon. These are some of
the points we raised:
- The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports
that birth defects are on the rise, despite the $1 BILLION raised by MOD
thus far;
- Animal testing has many times led medical research
down the wrong path: some examples being thalidomide, a drug commonly given
to pregnant women that resulted in severe birth deformities, which had been
shown to be safe in animal studies; and the antibiotic streptomycin, tested
on guinea pigs, dogs and pigs, and deemed 'safe' for people - but infants
who were given the drug suffered brain damage, went blind and deaf, or died;
- Even birth-defect researchers admit the difficulty of
interpreting animal tests because of the fact that any substance can harm
fetal development if given in the right dose to the right species at the
right time. This is called Karnofsky's Law, and it's often used to excuse
the inaccuracy of animal studies.
In addition, spina bifida, or "open spine" in fetuses,
which could and should be non-existent as it involves a simple dietary
change, is alive and well and being treated via dangerous, invasive prenatal
surgery; MOD should be far more active in educational outreach and
assistance programs. Furthermore, dioxin and other proven endocrine
disruptors, which are known to effect the unborn, are still widely used. The
MOD marchers should march right over to the Environmental Protection Agency,
which is proving to be little more than a rubber stamp for the chemical
companies.
Kiley Blackman
Yonkers
The writer is spokesperson,
Animal Defenders of Westchester
