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Picture Credits: http://www.marchofcrimes.com
More than 470,000 babies are born prematurely in the U.S. every year. And while the March of Dimes is one of the leading organizations trying to prevent this, they’re not nearly as worthy and honest as they lead most people to believe. While their goal of preventing birth defects is worthy, their actions are most definitely not. The March of Dimes collects millions of dollars every year from generous donors, and the people who walk. So… ever wonder where the money goes? And possibly why with all the financial support, and available resources the March of Dimes has, they still haven’t even found a reason why babies are born premature, much less any possible ways to prevent it?
The millions of dollars the March of Dimes receives are all spent on useless animal testing. And for those of you wondering why you’re still reading this because the lives of human babies are SO much more important than some stupid animals, here’s something new, the March of Dimes’ tests are actually HARMFUL and hazardous to babies!
Animal studies can be dangerous and put babies at risk. An antibiotic, streptomycin, was tested on dogs, guinea pigs, and pigs and deemed "safe" for people. But infants who were given the drug suffered brain damage, went deaf or blind, or died. (So much for donating to a good cause).
Experimenters funded by the March of Dimes have:
sewn shut newborn kittens' eyes, then killed them after they had endured a year of blindness.
put newborn kittens in completely dark chambers, then killed them after three to five months.
removed fetal kittens from the uterus, implanted pumps into their backs to inject a drug that destroys nerves, then re-implanted the fetuses in the uterus. After the kittens were born, they were killed and studied.
implanted electric pumps into the backs of pregnant rats to inject nicotine, even though the dangers of cigarette smoking to human babies is already known.
injected pregnant rats with cocaine, though the dangers of cocaine to human babies is already known.
injected newborn opossums with alcohol, decapitated them an hour to 32 weeks later, then removed and studied the gonads (immature sexual organs), though the dangers of alcohol to human babies is well known.
transplanted organs from pigs to baboons, most of whom died within hours.
transplanted organs from guinea pigs to rats.
destroyed the ear drums of unborn lambs, then killed the mother sheep and lambs just before birth to examine the brains.
And the point of all of the above is…? These experiments are useless! First, what is the logic of sewing baby kittens’ eyes closed, and putting them in dark chambers for months and then killing them? The next four experiment with drugs, the effects are ALREADY WELL KNOWN!!! The only reason the March of Dimes does these experiments is to get funding, and just to say they did something! What the hell are they trying to prove?? That they know the effects of drugs on pregnant women? So does the average 13yr old after they take a health class!! Transplanting organs? Destroying eardrums of UNBORN lambs? It is so obvious that organ transplants can’t be made between two completely different species, what does this have to do with premature babies?? And why bother destroying eardrums and then studying the effects on the brain? The antibiotics they DO release (which are VERY few since their tests are absolutely useless and they know it) make babies deaf anyway, so why bother?
Most donors who generously open their pocketbooks are unaware that their gifts help to fund painful experiments on animals. (They don’t use anesthetics!!) The March of Dimes has funneled millions of dollars into laboratory studies on primates, hamsters, rats, mice, cats, dogs, rabbits, pigs, sheep, guinea pigs, opossums, and members of other animal species.
But aren’t there animal protection laws that prevent March of Dimes-funded experimenters from harming animals?
Of course there are(is!!), The Animal Welfare Act! It deals with issues such as cage size and transportation. Oh, no wait! That’s only for house keeping, and only applies to pets at home!! So basically, experimenters can do whatever they want to animals - even perform painful, invasive experiments without anesthetics or painkillers. Unbelievably, government officials have chosen to interpret the Act to exclude mice and rats, so that the species that comprise 90 percent of all animals used in laboratories have no protections under the law! (for everyone saying ‘eww,’ for your information, mice and rats are mammals!! And have just as much feelings as you and I!) And on top of these shocking facts, the Animal Welfare Act, even as weak as it is, is not adequately enforced! What is the government going to do if a pet (not to mention lab animal) is starved for weeks in a tiny cage without any proper care? Give them a slap on the wrist? Face it, even though animals have just as much feelings and emotions, they have no rights at all, much less any animal protection laws!!
Both animals and human babies are the losers, because every dollar spent to harm these animals is a dollar that could have—and should have—been used to help people.
Improved prenatal care is desperately needed. Every year, 1.2 million women receive insufficient prenatal care, even though adequate care could prevent as much as 25 percent of all infant deaths. Help for pregnant women who smoke could decrease infant deaths by an estimated 10 percent. Alcohol abuse during pregnancy is the leading preventable cause of birth defects and mental retardation. Yet rats and other animals are injected with alcohol while women seeking help can’t find it. Additionally, teenage pregnancies, AIDS, and drug abuse continue to be major threats to unborn children that require more resources than they currently receive.
Thankfully, the March of Dimes isn’t the only organization that does research on premature birth (of course, it doesn’t do that at all, but let’s give them credit for now anyway, since that’s what they brag about so much – “donate to save babies lives” – pulease). Here are some other organizations you can donate to:
Birth Defect Research for Children, Inc., 930 Woodcock Rd., Ste. 225, Orlando, FL
32803; 800-313-2232;
www.birthdefects.org
Easter Seals, 230 W. Monroe St., Ste. 1800, Chicago, IL 60606; 800-221-6827;
www.easter-seals.org
Giving MD a Voice, 5334 Granada Blvd., Sebring, FL 33872; 866-632-8642;
www.hopeformd.org
Little People’s Research Fund, Inc., 80 Sister Pierre Dr., Towson, MD 21204;
800-232-5773;
www.lprf.org
Warner House, 1023 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton, CA 92831; 714-441-2600;
www.warnerhouse.com
Every dollar that the March of Dimes wastes on cruel, useless animal experiments is a dollar NOT invested in programs that do work. Relying on faulty animal tests not only causes needless suffering for animals, it also puts human health in jeopardy. The reality is that when the March of Dimes funds animal experiments, not only do the animals suffer, but our own babies do, too. Human physiology is vastly different from the physiologies of other species. It’s true that all animals are sentient beings capable of feeling just as much pain as humans, but most similarities end there.
Animal experimentation diverts millions of dollars from valuable human studies and research programs. The National Birth Defects Registry is desperately needed to uncover the root causes of birth defects; the largest registry in the United States, operated by the Centers for Disease Control, is so underfunded that it only collects limited information!! Unlike the March of Dimes, these charities do NOT fund tests where baby kittens’ eyes are sewn shut, monkeys are kept in body restraints for days at a time, ferrets and other animals have suffered severe brain damage, and pregnant rats and newborn opossums are forced to ingest alcohol, nicotine, and cocaine. Nowadays, many charities do not fund animal tests, seeing them as a poor use of money, and instead put all their funds into modern research methods such as analysis of human DNA or epidemiological data, prevention, education, and other programs that apply directly to human health. Of course, they’re so underfunded, they can’t make much of a difference. Though, somehow they STILL produce more results than the March of Dimes!
The reality is that when the March of Dimes funds animal experiments, not only do the animals suffer, but our own babies do, too. It’s your choice. Fund horrific animal experiments that maim and kill thousands of animals every year,… Or give to charities such as Easter Seals or Birth Defect Research for Children, that fund modern, non-animal research, and actually BENEFIT premature babies. Several businesses, including supermarket chain Publix, Jamba Juice, and Kmart, earmarked contributions to the March of Dimes to be used for non-animal programs only!
Human Studies Save Human Lives
Virtually all known developmental hazards were identified through studies of human populations.
Human-based research identified:
the dangers of thalidomide, a drug commonly given to pregnant women in the 1950s that resulted in severe physical deformities; animal studies had shown thalidomide to be safe.
The risk of birth defects associated with rubella during pregnancy.
The association of folic acid deficiency with spinal cord abnormalities.
The disastrous effects of lead, methyl mercury, and alcohol on developing fetuses.
March of Dimes could save more babies if…
…it put donations into under-funded programs that have been proven to prevent birth defects and help babies.
An estimated 25 percent of all infant deaths could be prevented if adequate pre-natal care were provided for the 1.2 million women who need it every year.
Infant deaths would decrease by as much as 10 percent if women who smoke (25 percent of pregnant women) gave up cigarettes during pregnancy.
Alcohol abuse during pregnancy is the leading cause of preventable birth defects, and there are not enough affordable addiction treatment programs for the women seeking help—yet precious resources are wasted injecting rats and other animals with alcohol.
The establishment of a National Birth Defects Registry can help to identify causes—and pave the way toward prevention of—birth defects. Data from the registry could be analyzed to look for possible patterns or clusters of birth defects that may be associated with certain environmental exposures or genetic traits.
Too bad they don’t contribute to any of the above! Babies for babies? Don’t think so!
“REAL HEROES SAVE BOTH LIVES”
Bibliography:
www.marchofdimes.com
www.marchofcrimes.com
(it’s as simple at that! ^-^)
Um, also, some of the factual paragraphs are plagiarized, so this work is ©PETA :)
Authors note: any questions, just leave a coment or email me. I've REALLY researched this up!
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