LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

History has lot to tell us about animals

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To the editor:

The statues dotted around a city show us whose lives people considered important, and whose were ignored. New statues — like the Central Park sculpture of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth — remind us that society has progressed.

Once, people laughed at the idea of women’s suffrage. We lament how long it took our forbearers to see the light.

Which historical perspectives do people scoff at today? Which currently accepted norms might make our descendants shake their heads in dismay? Will we look back at speciesism — the misguided belief that some animals are more important, or more deserving of kindness, than others — with the same horror that we view racism, sexism or homophobia?

As president of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Ingrid Newkirk has stated, “Discrimination is discrimination, and it’s wrong whether you’re a woman or a chicken.” We simply do not need to imprison and kill feeling, thinking animals for our food, clothing, cosmetics or entertainment.

Let’s embrace values that spare animals from suffering, help our environment, and improve human health. Kindness will always stand the test of time.

Jessica Bellamy

The author represents the PETA Foundation.

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Jessica Bellamy,

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