PETA Responds to President’s ‘Hunger Games’ Turkey Pardon Joke

For Immediate Release:
November 27, 2013

The turkey “pardon” may be a farce, but it’s deeply insensitive to joke about these animals’ lives and slaughter. Joshing that only one or two turkeys’ lives will be “spared” – although factory farming and genetic engineering actually doom them to death within the year – while millions more frightened birds will have their throats slit, be electrocuted, or be scalded to death is disrespectful of the animals and the many Americans who are vegetarian or vegan for religious, ethical, environmental, or other reasons. In an earlier time, when some human beings were thought little of, what if President Lincoln had laughingly announced that he was going to free only one random slave? Turkeys need people to spare them all from the table, something that former President Bill Clinton and many other people already do.