Published Letters and Op-Eds from
COK’s Writers Group

Choose Vegetarian Diet

Published in the Press & Sun-Bulletin on April 15, 2005.

Dear Editor:

Regarding "More students make educated choice to eat vegetarian," it's hardly a surprise that more and more teens are choosing to leave meat off their plates. In addition to reducing our risk of heart disease and cancer -- America's top two killers -- a vegetarian diet also reduces animal suffering.

Though we may not know cows, pigs and birds as we do cats and dogs, they are social and intelligent animals who are just as capable of experiencing pain, fear and sorrow. On today's factory farms, however, egg-laying hens will spend their entire lives crammed inside wire cages so small they can't even spread their wings, and male pigs and cows are routinely castrated without any pain relief.

By choosing vegetarian foods, we can clear our arteries and our consciences, one bite at a time. With so many delicious, meat-free options available in groceries everywhere, adopting a healthier and more humane diet has never been easier.

Erica Meier
Director
Compassion Over Killing