It has been said that if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would
be a vegetarian. Since they do not, people create these "glass walls"
for each other by going into factory farms, filming everyday conditions,
and releasing this footage to the public. Nothing exaggerated or
extreme, just the every day circumstances in which these animals live ( I
use the term "live" lightly).
The release of this information has paved the way for strides to be
taken in changing the brutal treatment of these animals. Many people who
have seen this footage stop eating animal products altogether, which
collectively lessens the demand for this cruelly obtained food. Bills to
change this brutality have been pushed to Congress. All as a result of
the release of this footage.
If people do not know what is going on, they do not realize that there
is need to change anything. Under the first amendment, everyone deserves
to know the truth about what happening in factory farms, in order to
make an educated decision on whether or not they want to participate in
this system.
Ag-Gag laws are in the process of being passed in states across the
country. They have already been passed in five states (Iowa, Utah, North
Dakota, Montana and Kansas). These laws make it illegal to release
accurate, truthful images from inside of factory farms. This is a
violation of the first amendment, so these laws are written in such a
way to be legally passed. For example, making it a crime to lie on an
application to work in a factory farm. So, if someone says they are not
affiliated with an animal activists group on the application, and they
really are, they can be incarcerated as a result.
We need more transparency, not less, when it comes to factory farms. We
need to look up to see if there are pending Ag-Gag laws in our states;
if there are, write to our State Representatives and voice our
opposition and why. People are making a lot of money off of this brutal
business, and care more about protecting their profit then protecting
our rights. Freedom is not a given, we need to actively participate in
order to protect it.
-Kelly
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