Activist's lecture brings animal cruelty to light

By Dave Loos
News-Post Staff

This article appeared in the Frederick News-Post on February, 10, 2003

Animal rights activist Paul Shapiro led a 90-minute lecture and conversation at the C. Burr Artz Library that focused primarily on the killing of more than 10 billion land animals each year in the United States.

The Sunday presentation by Mr. Shapiro, a campaigns manager and investigator for Compassion Over Killing (COK) of Washington, included a 13-minute video — most of which was shot undercover on location — on the treatment and slaughter of chickens, cows and pigs. He spoke at the monthly meeting of the Frederick Secular Humanists (FRESH).

While other organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) focus their efforts on an array of animal issues such as medical research, hunting and fur, COK focuses primarily on consumed animals, which Mr. Shapiro said accounts for more than 99 percent of animals killed each year.

"We can't ignore the consequences of our actions," said Mr. Shapiro describing the lives of these animals, most of which, he said, are limited in movement throughout their entire lives, raised purely for consumption.

"Animals have just as much feeling for pain. ... Just because we can cause pain doesn't mean we should," said Mr. Shapiro. "Our level of reason differentiates us from animals, but not in a morally relevant way."

A major focus of Mr. Shapiro's talk was the treatment of egg-laying chickens.

According to Mr. Shapiro, the hens spend their lives cramped into small wire cages for about 18 months until their egg production declines, at which point they're slaughtered.

"The egg business is crueler than any other agribusiness company today," he said. "I would argue it is crueler to eat an omelet than a steak."

Asking rhetorically why humanists would be concerned about animal rights, FRESH member Steve Goldberg said, "On many levels, it's hard to make a moral distinction between animals and humans."

According to their Web site, secular humanists believe in part that "critical thought and the scientific method provide the most reliable means of acquiring knowledge."