Does the holiday spirit put you in a generous mood? Before you write a check to a health charity, check the list of charities that do and that don't fund cruel animal experiments.
Many huge health charities—including the American Cancer Society, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the March of Dimes, the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Lung Association—actually take millions of lives. They waste precious dollars on cruel, irrelevant experiments on dogs, rats, cats, mice, primates, pigs, sheep, and other animals instead of spending them on promising human-based programs. All animals, including humans, feel pain, fear, sadness, joy, love, and other emotions, but physiologically, there are vast differences between species. Data from one species cannot be correctly applied to another. Different species of animals vary enormously in their reactions to toxins and diseases as well as with regard to how they metabolize drugs. Consequently, dependence on animal "models" to address human diseases has been misleading, unnecessary, and dangerous. Every dollar that charities spend on animal research is a dollar that could have been better spent on humane, relevant, effective programs to help people with diseases or disabilities.
A 2005 survey commissioned by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and conducted by Opinion Research Corporation found that 58 percent of people would prefer that their donations to health charities be used to fund patient care and education rather than research. Animal-friendly philanthropists can give to deserving cruelty-free charities, such as Easter Seals, Helen Keller International, Children's Burn Foundation, Miracle House, and others that help people without hurting animals. These compassionate, modern charities know that up-to-date, non-animal methods are the best way to help people with diseases or disabilities.
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