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

Vegetarians Show Compassion for Animals

Published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on April 17, 2005.

Regarding the story, "Hog Spill Stops Traffic Again":

Thank you for covering this tragic story. Six years ago I witnessed the aftermath of a fatal accident involving a slaughter-bound pig truck that careened into a ditch in Isle of Wight County. In addition to the countless injured pigs that were scattered across the roadway or stuck in the ditches, dozens more squealed from inside the mangled truck -- they were crushed by the collapsed walls and roof but still very much alive. Hours passed before these animals were finally put out of their misery.

The suffering endured by animals during transport to the slaughterhouse is only the tip of the iceberg, however. With few laws to protect them, farmed animals are routinely treated in ways that would be illegal if the same things were done to dogs and cats. Piglets on factory farms, for example, have their teeth trimmed, ears cut, and tails chopped off -- all without pain relief!

Luckily, for those of us opposed to animal cruelty, a vegetarian diet offers an easy and effective way to express our compassion.

Erica Meier
Washington, D.C.