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December
10 marks International Human Rights Day—a day to renew awareness of the
discrimination, oppression, and physical, psychological and emotional abuse
that vast numbers of people continue to face in the world today. It is also a
day to remember those who have been injured or whose lives have been lost,
to call for an end to this violence, and to celebrate advancements toward a
more just world.
While
people around the globe commemorate this important day and recognize the need
to stop violence toward other human beings, most are oblivious to the heinous abuse
suffered by billions of animals worldwide at the hands of the meat, egg and
dairy industries.
As repeatedly
documented in undercover investigations, animals raised for food are subjected
to unconscionable cruelty: confined to spaces so small they are unable to even turn around
or express natural behaviours, mutilated without painkillers, and torn from
their mothers—often within hours of birth. These animals endure
painful injuries and are left without proper veterinary care. They are prodded
and crammed into trucks, transported in all temperature extremes without food
and water, and finally shackled upside down in slaughterhouses to have
their throats slit, often while fully conscious.
The disturbing truth is that we perpetuate this violence every time
we sit down to a meal containing animal products. Knowing this, we must ask
ourselves: Can we faithfully call for an end to oppression, discrimination and brutality
for some sentient beings when our food choices force others to be confined,
mutilated and commodified, ultimately to be served up to us on a food tray?
Including all beings in our circle of
compassion is an easy endeavour. Case in point, a few years ago, the Dalhousie
Women’s Center in Halifax sponsored a “Take Back the Night” event,
held for women to reclaim their right to be safe from sexual assault. The
organizers offered participants exclusively vegan meals as a simple, but strong
statement against violence to all sentient beings.
You too can
take a powerful stand against oppression of any sentient being by adopting a
plant-based diet. To learn more go to ChooseVeg.ca.
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