Talk Cancer

Question:

writes: What follows are two statements issued by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) exposing the impetus behind the recent smear campaign initiated by individuals from ACT UP Golden Gate and ACT UP Washington DC. As correctly outlined by PETA, recent protests of World Animal Awareness Week by San Francisco AIDS establishment insiders amount to

PWAs have suddenly become ‘AIDS establishment insiders’ ? nothing more than a concerted effort by the biomedical industry to exploit ignorant, right-wing PWAs like Jeff Getty for their own

ignorant? right-wing ? profit-making purposes. This misguided conservative attack on the direct action tactics of militant animal rights activists by drug-company front men is NOT

Oh yes, PETA and ACT UP SF are SOOOO militant and SOOOO radical and everyone else is a representative of the evil drug-industry… supported by ACT UP San Francisco nor did it receive consensus from other ACT UP chapters across the U.S.

Not much in the way of finding a cure for AIDS is supported by ACT-UP SF these days. Are you implying that there are actually any real ACT-UP chapters who share ‘ACT-UP’ SF’s views? PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Americans for Medical Progress A Front Group for U.S. Surgical Americans for Medical Progress, Inc. (AMP) and "The Americans for Medical Progress Educational Foundation" were formed in 1990 by executives of United States Surgical Corporation, a company that killed almost 1,600 dogs in 1993

42,482 people died in 1993 because of AIDS. Dogs are not routinely used in AIDS research. PETA also helped delay the recent significant advances in adult leukemia which caused the early death of my mother. I’ve dealt with these folks before. They get all their money by approaching people in the street with photographs of extremely uncommon animal experiments, offensive to most of the sensibilities we acquire in society. They fail to show the photographs of the not so uncommon person dying with AIDS, leukemia, cancer, whatever – I would have hoped another human being would consider this as even more offensive. I guess the group calling themselves ‘ACT-UP’ SF suggest we should ignore the recent breakthroughs of fusin and CC CKR5 which would allow development of an animal model? Why do these ‘unethical’ animal experiments suddenly become ‘ethical’ when people are the guinnea pigs? What do the group called ‘ACT-UP’ SF propose as alternatives to existing research? (I’ve been waiting for an answer for this for a long time now). The number one reason a cure for AIDS has not been found in 15 years is that we have had an inadequate animal model. Period.

Response:

What follows are two statements issued by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) exposing the impetus behind the recent smear campaign initiated by individuals from ACT UP Golden Gate and ACT UP Washington DC. As correctly outlined by PETA, recent protests of World Animal Awareness Week by San Francisco AIDS establishment insiders amount to nothing more than a concerted effort by the biomedical industry to exploit ignorant, right-wing PWAs like Jeff Getty for their own profit-making purposes. This misguided conservative attack on the direct action tactics of militant animal rights activists by drug-company front men is NOT supported by ACT UP San Francisco nor did it receive consensus from other ACT UP chapters across the U.S. Members of ACT UP San Francisco join OutRage! London and Peter Tatchell, co-founder of ACT UP London, in denouncing this frightening attack on defenders of animal liberation. ACT UP! FIGHT AIDS! PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals P.O. Box 42516 Washington, DC 20015-0516 (301) 770-PETA (301) 770-8969 FAX June 20, 1996 To:       AIDS Advocates Re:       Anti-Animal hysteria As PETA’s openly gay campaigns director, I have found myself the target of an ironic smear campaign by a vivisection trade group called Americans for Medical Progress (AMP) that is aiming to drive a wedge between animal advocates and AIDS activists. I’d like to tell you about AMP’s underhanded efforts and articulate PETA’s position on the use of animals in AIDS research. In 1994, USA Today asked what I suggested to combat AIDS in place of animal tests. Focusing first on prevention, I replied that as most of my friends are gay, I caution them about unsafe sex by warning, "Don’t get sick in the first place, schmo." Sadly, USA Today chose to exclude the fact that I’m gay, didn’t mention prevention, and printed only the last phrase. Although I’ve explained myself publicly many times, AMP continues to use that quote out of context in ads claiming PETA will stand in the way of a cure. PETA’s primary goals are the same as those of most AIDS groups: end research duplication, streamline drug development, and centralize vaccine studies and drug clinical trials. I believe our advocacy for animals can only help in these areas. However, we vehemently oppose the baboon bone marrow transplant, as do most respected scientists, including AmFAR advisor Dr. Jonathan Allen. Besides being scientifically flawed, the transplant alone risks another AIDS-like viral outbreaks. Our objection to this procedure has sent transplant recipient Jeff Getty into the arms of AMP, which has now organized a week of PETA bashing for him. With Getty’s help, AMP is trying to distract AIDS groups away from its work to attack PETA. The following is information on AMP, to give you an idea of why it is they are out for PETA’s blood. Please don’t let AMP hijack the AIDS community’s agenda with anti-animal hysteria. I welcome any comments or suggestions you may have. Kind regards, Dan Mathews Director of Campaigns PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals P.O. Box 42516 Washington, DC 20015-0516 (301) 770-PETA (301) 770-8969 FAX Americans for Medical Progress A Front Group for U.S. Surgical Americans for Medical Progress, Inc. (AMP) and "The Americans for Medical Progress Educational Foundation" were formed in 1990 by executives of United States Surgical Corporation, a company that killed almost 1,600 dogs in 1993 to demonstrate surgical equipment such as staplers. The Wall Street Journal wrote of AMP, "But the self-styled grass-roots group neglects to tell the public that it is, in essence, a public-relations front formed and largely funded by U.S. Surgical Corp. The medical company, with sales of more than $800 million a year, isn’t on a quest for a cure for cancer. It uses, and kills, a thousand dogs each year so that its customers – doctors – can practice surgery using U.S. Surgical products." Susan Paris, president of both organizations told Consumer Reports, "I don’t think the average person on the street knows [who funds us] but most opinion leaders and people in the medical field know. If I’m asked, I certainly tell them, but we don’t put it on our literature." In 1994, AMP testified before the Maryland Legislature to kill a students’ rights bill which would have made dissection for students optional. On May 10, 1996, with no science to back its claims of necessity, AMP testified before the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies in support of NASA’s cruel and much-criticized Bion monkey experiments. NASA has committed $33.2 million American tax dollars to the joint project with Russia to launch grossly electrode-implanted monkeys alone into space for 14 days even though such experiments are widely thought to be pass