Letters to the Editor do not reflect the editorial opinion of The Daily Free Press. They are solely the opinion of the author.
As a woman and a feminist, it saddens me when women say they are offended by PETA’s video challenging people to empathize with the plight of female animals on factory farms (“Burstein: PETA cannot equate artificial insemination to rape,” Nov. 9). What should offend them is the cruelty that is being inflicted on these defenseless animals, not having their attention drawn to it.
As PETA’s video explains, farm workers artificially inseminate animals by immobilizing them and shoving their hands and arms into the animals’ rectums and vaginas. The animals are defenseless to stop it. This is the very definition of rape. The farmers force the animals to bear babies who will be torn away and later killed for their flesh, as the mothers themselves ultimately will be, too.
Because of attention-grabbing campaigns like this one, people think about and debate issues that they might otherwise not be aware of. We don’t mind getting the blame as the messenger as long as we provoke discussion. Animals depend on us to. When the media reports on our activities, people flock to our websites to order free vegetarian starter kits and other literature. And that is the goal with this video. I encourage readers to learn more about sexual abuse in the food industry at PETA.org.
Sincerely,
Christina Bicknell
College Campaign Coordinator, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
