IDA e-news: 5/03/06

IDA ALERTS
1. Global Day of Action Against Procter & Gamble
2. Santa Clara County Becomes Newest Guardian Community
3. Florida Passes Healthy School Lunch Resolution
CAMPAIGN NEWS & UPDATES
1. IDA's Guardian of the Month for May: Bruce Zeman
2. World Week for Animals in Laboratories a Success
3. Attend Humane Leadership Academy in NYC


IDA ALERTS

1. Global Day of Action Against Procter & Gamble
10th Annual Worldwide Protest Against Animal Tests Takes Place May 20th

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Global Day of Action against corporate giant Procter & Gamble's (P&G's) needless killing of tens of tens of thousands of animals in painful, archaic and entirely unnecessary product tests. This annual event has been coordinated by IDA and Uncaged Campaigns in the U.K. since 1986, and is still going strong. The Global Day of Action Against P&G remains as important now as it was a decade ago because the gigantic multinational corporation continues to test their products on animals, even while hundreds of other companies have switched over to more effective methods of testing that don't harm animals.

P&G refuses to stop testing its products on animals despite the existence of more reliable and humane alternatives and the fact that these tests are not required by any law. The real reason the company relies on these outdated tests has nothing to do with consumer safety and everything to do with protecting itself against liability lawsuits. The truth is that P&G could stop animal testing today while actually increasing the safety of its products. The pointless suffering caused by P&G's corporate testing policy even extends to their "pet" food subsidiary, Iams/Eukanuba, which cuts open and kills live cats and dogs for "pet" food research tests not required by law.

As a company with annual revenue in the billions of dollars, P&G spends millions every year packaging itself as a responsible, caring company, and claims to be a leader in the development of alternatives to testing on animals. P&G's victims - the innocent cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, ferrets and other animals used as living test tubes - are counting on us to hold the company accountable and end their misery.

What You Can Do:

Please speak up for the animals suffering each day at the hands P&G by taking part in this international day of action against the corporate giant's cruel and needless animal testing on May 20th. Last year, over 100 "Boycott P&G" events took place around the world - from Sydney to London - making it one of the largest days of action of its kind in the world. Activists in dozens of states and countries urged hundreds of thousands of consumers to boycott P&G until the company stops killing animals unnecessarily to test its products. With the help of animal advocates around the world, this year can be even bigger and better.

- Please join with other animal advocates by organizing or participating in a protest against P&G in your area. Visit http://www.pandgkills.com/boycott/globalday_06.html for more information and additional ideas on how you can make a difference.

- For more information about how P&G and Iams hurt animals and for lists of companies that do not test products on animals, visit http://www.pandgkills.com and http://www.iamskills.com .


2. Santa Clara County Becomes Newest Guardian Community
Board of Supervisors Approves Ordinance Recognizing Residents as Animal Guardians

Last week, California's Santa Clara County passed an ordinance recognizing individuals as the "owner/guardian" instead of merely the "owner" of their animal companions. The County's residents join almost three million other Americans across the country who officially recognize the importance and value of the term guardian. Santa Clara County, located in the heart of California's famed Silicon Valley, is also the second county to officiate the language change, along with fourteen American cities and the State of Rhode Island. You can learn more about Santa Clara County's decision by reading an article that ran in the Mercury News ( http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/14431206.htm ) last week.

What You Can Do:

Contact the Santa Clara County Clerk to thank the Board of Supervisors for passing the ordinance. Be sure to congratulate them on making a wise decision that will help reduce the number of abandoned and unwanted animals put down in shelters.

Office of the Clerk - Board of Supervisors
70 West Hedding Street
10th Floor, East Wing
San Jose, CA 95110
Tel: (408) 299-5001
Fax: (408) 298-8460

Please visit http://www.guardiancampaign.com to learn about IDA's Guardian Campaign and how you can get involved.


3. Florida Passes Healthy School Lunch Resolution
Urge Your Legislators to Follow their Progressive Example

On April 25th, the Florida House of Representatives passed the Florida Healthy School Lunch Resolution recommending a daily vegetarian school lunch option. The resolution was introduced by Representative Susan Bucher at the request of CHOICE (Citizens for Healthy Options In Children's Education), a program launched by concerned parents in 1994 to promote wholesome plant-based meals and nutrition education in our nation's schools. The program is co-sponsored by Farm Animal Reform Movement (FARM) and IDA, and has been instrumental in getting healthy school lunch resolutions passed in Hawaii, California and New York in addition to Florida.

Florida's Health School Lunch Resolution (HR 9095) states in part: "Whereas school children who identify themselves as vegetarian or vegan or are from families who avoid meat and dairy foods are currently at a disadvantage if no appropriate school lunch meals are offered in their respective schools, be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Florida that...all school districts and parents of school children in the state are urged to emphasize the importance of and to provide plant-based diets consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes; including daily vegetarian entrée options." The full text of the resolution is posted at http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h9095__.doc&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=9095&Session=2006 .

What You Can Do:

Ask your legislators to pass a healthy school lunch resolution in your state. All you need to do is find a supportive Representative or Senator to sponsor the resolution. Once a legislator offers to author the resolution, a lot of the work is done by their office. CHOICE can provide you with all the support materials you will need and help you work through the legislative process. For further information on how to pass a resolution in your state, contact CHOICE's program director Susan Wieland at info [at] choiceusa.net or 877-6CHOICE. Also visit http://www.choiceusa.net for more information about CHOICE.


CAMPAIGN NEWS & UPDATES

1. IDA's Guardian of the Month for May: Bruce Zeman
New Jersey's Exemplary Animal Guardian Reaches Out to Students

IDA is proud to name Bruce Zeman our Guardian of the Month for May in recognition of his efforts to spread a message of compassion for animals in his community. A strong proponent of IDA's Guardian Campaign, Zeman actively works to improve animals' status for the betterment of society.

Zeman started advocating for animals as president of his building's Tenant's Association when he sued a former landlord on behalf of himself and 20 other families to defend their right to live with their companion animals. As a result, Bruce's dachshund, Nathan, got to live with the Zeman family, and all of the other families got to keep their companion animals in their homes.

Soon after the victory, Zeman was inspired to spearhead the effort to get guardian language incorporated into the city ordinances of his hometown of Wanaque, New Jersey. "During the dispute, I discovered that animals are regarded as little more than property in New Jersey," he said. His successful bid to codify guardian language in Wanaque ultimately made it the first Guardian City in the Garden State, and the change became known as "Nathan's Law" in honor of his canine friend. On the day the City Council unanimously voted to amend the ordinance (May 10th, 2004), Zeman stated, "I came to Wanaque because it is a good place to raise my family, and Nathan is part of my family." His sentiment expressed how most Americans feel about the relationship they share with their beloved animal companions.

As a member of the Wanaque Borough Schools Board of Education, Zeman is a highly respected member of his community and sees imparting positive values to youth as a top priority. To meet that goal, he gives humane education presentations at schools to teach children about treating animals with compassion and respect. Accompanied by his affable friend Nathan, Zeman emphasizes that kindness to animals makes us better people and strengthens our communities. To help children understand why cruelty to animals is wrong, he draws on the students' personal experiences by comparing animal abusers to puffed-up school bullies who target smaller children to make themselves feel powerful. Even the youngest children, he says, can help animals by reporting animal abuse to an adult or by fostering or adopting animals from shelters.

As a hardworking animal advocate, Zeman is an inspiration to anyone seeking to better the world through concern for those who need our care and protection. IDA is happy to honor Zeman by making him our Guardian of the Month for May.

What You Can Do:

- Help your community become the next Guardian City, and you could be a future Guardian of the Month. Visit http://www.guardiancampaign.com to learn more about how you can get involved.

- If you know someone who is an outstanding animal guardian, nominate them for IDA's Guardian of the Month by writing to guardiannomination [at] idausa.org and telling us about their efforts to help animals.

- Get a free Guardian wristband and Guardian Emergency Card from IDA by clicking http://www.idausa.org/pp_bracelet_frame.html .


2. World Week for Animals in Laboratories a Success
Global Events Call Attention to Cruel Animal Experiments

IDA's 20th annual World Week for Animals in Laboratories (WWAIL) was held from April 23rd to 30th this year with events taking place in dozens of states and countries, from San Francisco to South Africa. The events (including protests, demonstrations, speeches and press conferences) helped educate the public about the scientific, moral and economic realities of animal experimentation and the humane alternatives that exist. Here are just a few of the events held in recognition of WWAIL:

- Activists in Columbus, Ohio passed out over a thousand fliers describing Ohio State University's (OSU's) animal experiments. In one OSU experiment that has been going on since the 1980s, researcher George Billman runs dogs on a treadmill to induce a heart attack, sometimes giving the canines cocaine to determine whether this narcotic has a negative impact heart health. Dr. Billman received approval in March to use an additional 210 dogs over the next three years. The activists also made it easy for people to mail their protest about the killing of cats for educational tutorials by providing a form letter, which is available for printing at http://www.poetwill.org/intubation_holbrookeletter.pdf . You can learn more about the group's efforts at http://www.poetwill.org/WLALW2006.htm .

- Nearly 100 activists attended a "Covance Under Fire" demonstration in Chandler, Arizona on April 23rd. Covance Laboratories Inc., the largest animal testing company in the world, has been repeatedly fined for federal Animal Welfare Act violations, and is planning to open a 400,000 square foot animal testing research facility in Chandler. With the help of many dedicated animal advocates, Citizens Against Covance and Arizonans for Humane Farms were able to coordinate a very effective and exciting protest against the single largest importer of primates in the U.S. and the world's largest breeder of dogs used for research purposes. To learn more, visit http://www.stopcovance.com .

- More than 50 activists held a three-hour vigil at the main gates of Harvard University, which conducts experiments on over 2,100 primates at their New England Primate Research Center in Southborough, Mass. Activists wore blood-splattered lab coats to emphasize the violence of vivisection and gain the attention of people in Harvard Square, who read their signs and banners and took about 2,000 fliers. Everyone responded calmly and intelligently when scientists came out to debate the issue. A photographer from the Boston Globe spent the better part of an hour taking photos of the protest.

- Volunteers from IDA and the Portland Community College (PCC) animal rights club assembled a visually stunning flag display that stood throughout the week at the Cascade Campus. Activists placed 1,150 small white flags on the lawn outside the science building (in rows resembling Arlington National Cemetery) with markers that described how each flag represented 20,000 animals of the 23 million used each year in research.

- Despite rainy weather and cool temperatures, about 55 people came to a protest at the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC), where the CU 34 monkeys are held. Activists wore two body screen TVs continuously showing IDA's anti-vivisection PSA, which features Jane Goodall speaking over undercover footage taken by Matt Rossell at the Oregon Primate Center. Two people dressed in primate costumes and sat in cages on the street corner while others waved posters and banners. Matt Bear provided live music, performing a song he wrote especially for the CU 34.

- In Rochester, N.Y. a dozen animal activists with Animal Rights Advocates of Upstate New York stood outside the animal research building at the University of Rochester with signs facing the windows. They also held a candlelight vigil that included readings to commemorate the deaths of animals used in experiments. The group holds this vigil every year for the animals to recognize the suffering that they endure every day of their lives.

- In the U.K., Uncaged Campaigns set up anti-vivisection campaign stalls during WWAIL in the cities of Bishops Stortford, Weymouth, Barnstaple, Warrington, and Monmouth (Wales). Activists also organized a large demonstration at Oxford University to protest a proposed vivisection lab.

- Two WWAIL protests took place in South Africa this year. About 20 activists showed up in Johannesburg outside the University of the Witwatersrand in freezing weather to hold posters reading "Animal Experiments are Cruel and Must be Stopped" and "Hoot If You Agree." These posters elicited an encouraging amount of hooting from motorists and pedestrians, so activists did the Wave whenever someone hooted, which both drew the attention of passerby and kept protesters warm. About 25 demonstrators came out to Adderley Street in Cape Town to hand out pamphlets explaining the inherent cruelty of animal experimentation. They engaged many people in conversation and took the opportunity to educate the public about the ugly realities of vivisection.

In France and Switzerland, activists organized 26 events - from street theater to concerts to booths in busy shopping areas, bringing the message of the horrors of vivisection and the many viable humane alternatives to thousands. Click http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/content/category/2/5/16 to read reports and see photos of "Semaine Mondiale pour la Liberation des 'Animaux de Laboratoire'" in French.

Visit http://www.wwail.org/list_event.html to see the full list of events held around the globe for WWAIL. If you held a WWAIL event, please email photos and information to Kristie [at] idausa.org so we can update our members on your success.

What You Can Do:

- Visit http://www.wwail.org for ideas that can raise public awareness about animals in laboratories.

- Click http://www.wwail.org/recap2006.html to read about more WWAIL protests covered by the media:

Animal rights activists protest at pharmaceutical facility http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=4837580&nav=2aKD

Group rallies against Covance in Chandler http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=63939

PETA organizes protest in White Plaza to raise awareness http://daily.stanford.edu/tempo?page=content&id=20240&repository=0001_article

Mystery Surrounding Ad That Slams the Big Board http://www.nypost.com/business/67726.htm

Articles in French:

La voix de proanima http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/component/option,com_datsogallery/Itemid,19/func,detail/id,241

Animaux http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/component/option,com_datsogallery/Itemid,19/func,detail/id,3

Pro animal sur la place publique http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/component/option,com_datsogallery/Itemid,19/func,detail/id,242

Libération des animaux de laboratoire http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/component/option,com_datsogallery/Itemid,19/func,detail/id,240

Pour une science avec conscience http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/component/option,com_datsogallery/Itemid,19/func,detail/id,239

La semaine des "rats de laboratoire" http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/component/option,com_datsogallery/Itemid,19/func,detail/id,239


3. Attend Humane Leadership Academy in NYC
IDA Co-Sponsors Educational Forum for Animal Activists

This summer, learn from many of today's leaders in the humane community how you, too, can achieve your animal protection and welfare goals at the Humane Leadership Academy in New York City. This one-day forum co-sponsored by IDA, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and the Mayor's Alliance for New York City's Animals will feature speakers, presentations, discussions and interactive workshops that will help you take your activism to the next level. The program will include:

- Martin Rowe, V.P., Lantern Books, Founder, Satya magazine on "Reaching Success: How to Keep Moving Forward"

- Two films ("You Lift Me Up" and "Miracle Dog") portraying the work of Randy Grimm, Executive Director, Stray Rescue of St. Louis

- A roundtable discussion on "The Art of Humane Leadership" moderated by Bryan Kortis, Executive Director of Neighborhood Cats

- "Move the Message: A Guide to Making a Difference and Changing the World," a presentation by author and communications consultant Josephine Bellaccomo

- HSUS Farm Animal Campaign Manager Paul Shapiro on "Planning an Effective Campaign"

- A panel discussion on working collaborations moderated by The HSUS's Katherine McGowan

- "Becoming a Leader: Five Key Areas of Personal Development" with Kavitha Rao and Jeff Golden, co-founders of Common Fire

- "Touching the Future through Humane Education" with Bob Schwald from the International Institute for Humane Education

- A workshop with Katherine McGowan on using open dialogue and conflict resolution for effective animal advocacy

What: Humane Leadership Academy
When: Sunday, July 9th, 2006, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Where: SLC Conference Center, 352 Seventh Ave. (at W. 30th St.), 16th Floor
New York City (Visit http://www.slccenters.com for directions and a map)

Tickets for the Humane Leadership Academy are $25 per person, which includes vegan lunch. To purchase tickets online, go to http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/event/EventListings?orgId=13261 , or call (866) 468-7619 to purchase tickets by phone.

Help IDA Air Our PSAs During Be Kind to Animals Week

Be Kind to Animals Week is taking place from May 7th through 13th, and IDA is taking the opportunity to promote compassion by airing our "Adopt and Save a Life" public service announcement (PSA) on Animal Planet in Santa Clara County during the Genesis Awards in support of IDA's Guardian Campaign. This powerful PSA features legendary actor Peter Falk, actress Shera Danese, world renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, actress Wendie Malick, and Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell urging viewers to adopt and rescue instead of buying and selling animals. To view this and other IDA PSAs, please click http://www.idausa.org/psas/psa.html .

Please help us spread our message of caring for animals by sponsoring these critically important educational TV ads! Airing one spot costs roughly $50 and reaches hundreds of thousands of viewers. All contributions are tax deductible. Please make your check out to In Defense of Animals (with "PSAs" written in the memo section of the check) and send to 3010 Kerner Blvd, San Rafael, CA 94901. To donate by credit card, click https://secure.ga0.org/02/idadonations_in_honor and designate "PSAs" in the "in honor of" first name field in the donations area.


Cruel to be Kind
by Jan Allegretti

Most of the time humans are a compassionate species. At least that's our intent. We try to find the kindest way to treat animals and each other. But often our intention to do something in a humane way gets buried in a cultural paradigm that's so pervasive, so deeply embedded in our cells, that we don't realize the thing we're doing is itself inhumane.

Recently the Supreme Court heard arguments regarding the State of Florida's method of executing prisoners. Petitioners argued that the state's lethal injection procedure is unconstitutional in that it may cause excruciating pain. The court blocked the execution of Clarence Hill literally at the last moment, as he lay on a gurney in the execution chamber, intravenous lines already inserted into his veins.

The issue has been raised all around the country, forcing states to reevaluate the drug protocol used in executions. Typically the process begins with a painkiller, followed by a drug to induce paralysis, and finally one that stops the heart. At question is whether the painkiller remains effective throughout the process, and whether the paralytic simply masks overt signs of pain. While the legal system struggles to find a way to kill a man without causing "wanton and gratuitous pain," the question of whether the act of killing is inhumane is not currently part of the discussion.

I see parallels all around in the way we treat animals. Even in our most sincere efforts to do things in the kindest possible way, we often miss the fact that the things we're doing are fundamentally unkind. A recent public television program touted a certain Standard of Perfection in the way "show cattle" are treated and presented. In interviews, ranchers' affection for the cows was clear; they acknowledged that individual animals have unique personalities, and pointed to the many ways their health and well-being are carefully attended. But all this was spoken in the context of an industry that relies on buying, selling, and "breeding" the animals as commodities, even killing the beef cattle -- affection for them notwithstanding.

In the same PBS program one dairyman spoke of the bond between cows and their daughters, and pointed out that the bond remains strong even after they're weaned and reunited. What he didn't address was the emotional trauma those mothers and daughters suffer when he and his fellow dairy farmers forcibly wean them shortly after birth. Despite his sincere efforts to treat the cattle in his care well, and to convince viewers that the animals are capable of deep and lasting emotion, the man was too steeped in the rituals of his lifestyle to recognize the pain he inflicts on cows each birthing season.

Those of us who read this newsletter are fortunate to have had our eyes opened to many such contradictions between intention and action. But that level of awareness is an evolving process, if only because we live in the culture we do, where it's easy to get carried along on a wave of habituation. We're crusaders on the path of animal rights consciousness, but I've found there are always new opportunities to look a little deeper and explore how we can push back the norm and bring our voiceless friends further down the road to the acknowledgement they deserve. A few examples:

Many years ago I worked extensively with horses. I was deeply committed to treating them with as much compassion and respect as possible, and even built my own barn so that I would not be pressured to compromise my standards to serve anyone else's bottom line. But one day my consciousness was raised by a handsome Selle Français gelding named Tristan. A client of mine, Chuck, had asked me to find a horse for him and his family. I discovered Tristan at a barn in the next county; after two visits I decided he was a good match for Chuck and his wife and children, and negotiated what I thought was a "reasonable price." When I arrived with my truck and trailer, Tristan dutifully followed me out of the stable that had been his home for more than two years. The expression on his face was of concern, uncertainty, and resolve. He hesitated just a moment, took one last look back toward the barn, and with a sigh marched on into the trailer.

Throughout the long drive home my heart was back in the trailer with Tristan. I ached for what it must be like for him to have so little control over his life that a stranger could appear one day and take him away from a place he'd come to know as home, where he felt safe, and where he'd formed bonds with other horses and people. I had enormous respect for the trust he'd placed in me to step willingly into my trailer when he had no idea where he was going, how he'd be treated when he got there, or whether he'd ever return.

When we arrived at my barn, Chuck, his wife, and their son and daughter were waiting for us. Tristan backed out of the trailer, nervously sniffed the night air, and in a moment was surrounded by his new family. As they stroked him gently and spoke in quiet, loving, and reassuring tones, he and I both relaxed.

With all my efforts to treat Tristan well and make sure his new family was a kind and permanent one, I couldn't deny that I was participating in something akin to the slave trade. The vast majority of people who have horses in their lives love them deeply, but buying and selling them as human needs and wants change is generally accepted as the norm. Responsible horsepeople seek quality homes for animals they "sell," but what of the equine relationships that are broken in the process? Don't we devalue their lives when we assign a dollar value to the right to call them family members?

Similarly, breeding operations thrive in stables all across the country. Broodmares and stallions often get the best accommodations on the farm -- extra large stalls or green rolling pastures, top notch feed, excellent veterinary care. In the wild, a stallion's advances must be accepted by a mare before breeding takes place. In the breeding shed, it's well known that mares often exhibit preferences for one stallion over another. But when humans are in charge, a mare's wishes rarely factors in to whether or not the match will be consummated. If she shows any resistance, she'll likely be hobbled or even sedated to protect the stallion from a dangerous kick. I have sincere appreciation for the love humans have for their horses, and don't question that most have the animals' well being very much at heart -- but I can't help but notice that if we change "horse" to "human" in these breeding practices it's much less difficult to see the whole thing take on a horrifying specter.

Our dogs and cats also get caught under the net of procedures we long ago ceased to question. We spend hard-earned dollars to provide quality veterinary care, and entrust our companions only to professionals who treat them with kindness. But many veterinary clinics ask us to drop off our dogs or cats, and leave them for the day so that exams can be done as practitioners' time becomes available. The practice is so common that we might not notice the stress an animal may feel when he is turned over to strangers -- kind though they may be -- and confined to a cage for hours at a time, in proximity to other animals who are frightened or crying out in pain. Would we ask a human child to endure a routine medical exam that way? How different the same exam must feel to an animal who remains in the arms of a family member throughout the experience.

Similar dilemmas show up here in my own living room. Savannah, my gracious elder Great Dane, has a queen-size memory foam bed to sleep on at home, and the entire back of a reconfigured Volvo station wagon to stretch out in on our trips to town. But we live in a remote place where her days include long hours of waiting for me to turn off the computer, with little more than a family of quail and the occasional jack rabbit passing by to catch her interest. For many dogs that would be excitement enough to pass a summer afternoon. But the rabbits amble slowly by, knowing Savannah has little more than a passing interest in them. What lights her up are those visits to town where she can smell the smells as we drive through town, and best of all greet her old friends at the book store or the hardware shop, or make new ones when we stop for tea at an outdoor café. I have no doubt she'd be much happier living in town, or at least visiting a lot more often. But I'm a country girl who loves working at home, and we rarely get to town more than once a week. I sometimes fool myself that I treat Savannah with all the respect and consideration I'd give a human family member. But truth be told, her vote doesn't carry nearly as much weight as it would if she were a human companion. Because she's a dog, I get away with forcing her to adjust to my own lifestyle preferences. As a result she misses out on emotional and mental stimulation that might make her life far happier.

In the end, it's clear we're all still on an evolutionary path. We turned a critical corner when we acknowledged our responsibility to do all we can for the animals who share our lives, and for all those embroiled in our cultural confusion about who they are and how they must be treated. But over and over again we trip on the places where we simply hadn't thought to look for an opportunity to do better -- and end up finding very kind ways to do things that are not nearly as kind as we would hope.

That's true where both human and nonhuman animals are concerned. In an intriguing bit of irony, the Supreme Court justices learned that pancuronium bromide, the drug used to paralyze prisoners' muscles prior to the final lethal injection, is prohibited for use in the euthanasia of animals in thirty states, including Florida. The reason? According to veterinarians who submitted an amicus brief, its sole purpose is "to mask any suffering endured by the patient." It's not often we find we've been more diligent in our care of animals than of humans.

But maybe that's beside the point, after all. Compassion doesn't choose one species over another, any more than it chooses one human being over another. It doesn't matter whether the individuals in our care are man, woman, dog, horse, cow, dolphin, or raven. In all cases, we make the most compassionate choices when we see the world as they see it, and feel it as they feel it. When we tear an infant away from her mother so we can take her breast milk, or drug a female to force her to accept the advances of a male; when we leave a frightened patient alone in a cage surrounded by strangers, or force a loved one to wait days to enjoy the things that make her happiest; or when we strap a man to a gurney and, with his full knowledge and anticipation, intentionally take his life; we've discovered an opportunity to see the world through the eyes of another and reexamine the humanity of our actions. If we can do that every time we make choices for those whose lives are in our hands, we have a better chance of not only doing things humanely, but also doing humane things.
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Do you have a comment or a question? Is there a topic you'd like to see addressed in this column? If so, send a message to Jan at AskJan [at] idausa.org . It won't be possible to respond to all emails personally, but she will welcome and read every one.