How to Tell a Telemarketer to Take a Hike
This morning, I received a call from a woman who was soliciting donations for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Normally I don’t waste any time getting telemarketers off the phone—especially when they interrupt my breakfast—but before I hung up on this woman, I told her that one of my best friends was a breast cancer survivor, so the issue was very important to me, but I explained why I would not contribute to any charity that funds cruel, unscientific experiments on animals.
It just isn’t ethical to harm one species in an attempt to help another. Animals feel pain every bit as much as humans do. My friend wouldn’t want an animal tortured and killed in her name, and neither would I. You could say that I’m a Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) “survivor.” CMT isn’t life-threatening like breast cancer is, but it’s no fun nevertheless. Many people with CMT have difficulty walking, and some require foot surgery, as I did.
Animal experiments won’t help me or my friend. We’re humans, not cats, rats, or rhesus monkeys. Our systems are different physiologically, and data taken from one species cannot always be correctly applied to another.
Fortunately, as I told the telemarketer this morning—and anyone else who has ever asked me to give money to a charity that’s stuck in the Dark Ages—there are ethical and effective ways to help people with diseases and disabilities. Many modern, caring health charities help people without hurting animals.
If someone asks you to support a “killer” charity, tell them why you only support progressive, cruelty-free health charities like the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, American Breast Cancer Foundation, and Easter Seals. That way, they’ll understand that you care about both animals and people.
