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AMP Charges PETA's Taking Aim Against American Red Cross, Other Charities; Patients, Doctors Urge Celebrities to Boycott PETA Gala

Posted on: Friday, 9 September 2005, 09:00 CDT

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Patients, doctors and scientists are urging the entertainment community to oppose the extreme views of PETA's leadership and boycott PETA's 25th anniversary gala in Hollywood Saturday night.

"PETA's leadership is adamant that it opposes all animal-based research, regardless of benefit. PETA is even trying to stop people from giving to the American Red Cross and over 100 other health groups simply because these charities support scientists' search for new treatments and cures," said Peter Cashman, a 17+ year survivor of HIV/AIDS and founding member of ACT-UP Los Angeles at a news conference Friday sponsored by Americans for Medical Progress and the California Association for Biomedical Research.

John D. Young, VMD, MS, Director, Comparative Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Chairman of Americans for Medical Progress, said, "We're asking the entertainment community to consider the remarkable story of medical progress and contrast it to the 25 year history of hostile campaigns against biomedical research and health charities fostered by PETA's leadership. We are confident that most people in Hollywood will reject the rhetoric of hatred and violence espoused by PETA's leaders, and support those who seek to extend and improve human and animal lives."

Hollywood has always been generous in lending time and talent to raise money for biomedical research. Countless lives have been saved and made better through these efforts. Not just human lives. Animals too are benefiting from advances in research.

PETA is targeting some of the charities most beloved by Hollywood, among them: The Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, March of Dimes, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, the John Wayne Cancer Institute, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. PETA is also opposing the tremendous research initiatives of the highly-respected Entertainment Industry Foundation.

"I can't believe that the generous people of the entertainment community would turn their backs on these charities and embrace PETA's no-holds-barred efforts to abolish vital medical research. Fortunately, some of Hollywood's brightest stars are beginning to ask PETA some very tough questions," said Peter Cashman.

The Americans for Medical Progress website: http://www.amprogress.org/ has much information about medical breakthroughs to which animal research contributed, including organ transplants, combination drug therapies for people with AIDS/HIV, new cancer drugs, and vaccines against polio, measles, rubella, bacterial meningitis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and many other diseases.

Animal research has proved its value on many fronts. For example, a "second wave" of disaster -- a public health crisis in the form of diseases, infections and injuries that the Gulf Coast faces in the wake of Hurricane Katrina -- can be largely mitigated through the use of antibiotics, tetanus vaccine, antimalarial and antidiarrheal agents and other medicines, all now distributed to emergency medical centers throughout the region, all of which have been developed through animal-based research.

Americans for Medical Progress

CONTACT: Elizabeth Reitz of Americans for Medical Progress,+1-703-836-9595 x103

Web site: http://www.amprogress.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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