A few days ago I wrote about the controversy surrounding a local abortion clinic that had been shut down due to safety and health violations. Now that photos of conditions inside this clinic have been released, one would think that its supporters would step back and say, hey, wait a minute, this was not what we had in mind when we wanted to make abortion safe and legal.
On the contrary. They are howling more than ever. The pictures were doctored, the pictures were taken out of context. Yes, they show dirty, dilapidated equipment, but . . . (here we go again), it's all the fault of the pro-life picketers. They created a climate in which the doctor had no choice but to operate in these conditions. They planted the evidence (shades of O.J. Simpson). The authorities planted the evidence because they were biased. And so on and so forth.
It apparently has never occurred to these people that perhaps the good doctor was in it for motives other than helping women with a difficult decision. It apparently has never occurred to them that maybe they have been betrayed by one of their own, that they have been used by one of their own. That this doctor, who apparently has a history of malpractice as I've said before, is in it simply for the money and doesn't give a rat's ass about his patients' health and safety. With friends like this, who needs enemies?
Now I work in the controversial field of animal research, and yes, we get picketed once in a while. But there is a world of difference between how my industry handles regulations and inspections and how the pro-abortion lobby goes about it. Whatever you may think of animal research the fact remains that it is a HIGHLY REGULATED AND INSPECTED business. You just can't take a bunch of animals and do whatever you want with them. Anyone who goes into this field because they like to mistreat animals is in for a very very rude awakening. Because they will find that that kind of attitude isn't tolerated. As a matter of fact, some years ago all of us employees were required to watch a video taken by animal rights activists at a facility in England. It showed puppies being beaten by laboratory employees. Believe me, it was hard to watch. The message from management: We do not EVER want to have this sort of thing happening here. And they mean it. People have been fired because they flung a rat away from them after being bit even though it is an instinctive response. You do not mistreat the animals. Period.
When it comes to animal abuse complaints (and we've had them) it doesn't matter who makes the complaint, whether it is a disgruntled employee, a PETA member or someone who has a legitimate concern, each and every one is taken seriously. We get inspected. If it turns out that the complaint was justified then we have to comply with the appropriate regulations for correcting it. Everyone understands this. There is none of this passing the buck. We either are in compliance with federal and international regulations or we do not exist as a company.
Just today the USDA announced an addition to the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) which covers just about any institution that works with animals. These new regulations require each institution to develop a contingency plan which describes what they will do with the animals in case of an emergency like Hurricane Sandy, for example. Before these new regulations went into effect, those affected by them were allowed a period of time to submit their concerns. All was done in a professional manner. The USDA took these concerns into consideration and then issued its ruling.
I simply do not understand why those who call themselves pro-choice and pro-woman get all up in arms at the idea of regulating their "industry" and why, when abuses occur, turn themselves inside out with denial. They would do their cause a whole lot better if they started policing themselves instead of defending shoddy doctors who run filthy clinics. It makes me wonder who is really warring on women.
On the contrary. They are howling more than ever. The pictures were doctored, the pictures were taken out of context. Yes, they show dirty, dilapidated equipment, but . . . (here we go again), it's all the fault of the pro-life picketers. They created a climate in which the doctor had no choice but to operate in these conditions. They planted the evidence (shades of O.J. Simpson). The authorities planted the evidence because they were biased. And so on and so forth.
It apparently has never occurred to these people that perhaps the good doctor was in it for motives other than helping women with a difficult decision. It apparently has never occurred to them that maybe they have been betrayed by one of their own, that they have been used by one of their own. That this doctor, who apparently has a history of malpractice as I've said before, is in it simply for the money and doesn't give a rat's ass about his patients' health and safety. With friends like this, who needs enemies?
Now I work in the controversial field of animal research, and yes, we get picketed once in a while. But there is a world of difference between how my industry handles regulations and inspections and how the pro-abortion lobby goes about it. Whatever you may think of animal research the fact remains that it is a HIGHLY REGULATED AND INSPECTED business. You just can't take a bunch of animals and do whatever you want with them. Anyone who goes into this field because they like to mistreat animals is in for a very very rude awakening. Because they will find that that kind of attitude isn't tolerated. As a matter of fact, some years ago all of us employees were required to watch a video taken by animal rights activists at a facility in England. It showed puppies being beaten by laboratory employees. Believe me, it was hard to watch. The message from management: We do not EVER want to have this sort of thing happening here. And they mean it. People have been fired because they flung a rat away from them after being bit even though it is an instinctive response. You do not mistreat the animals. Period.
When it comes to animal abuse complaints (and we've had them) it doesn't matter who makes the complaint, whether it is a disgruntled employee, a PETA member or someone who has a legitimate concern, each and every one is taken seriously. We get inspected. If it turns out that the complaint was justified then we have to comply with the appropriate regulations for correcting it. Everyone understands this. There is none of this passing the buck. We either are in compliance with federal and international regulations or we do not exist as a company.
Just today the USDA announced an addition to the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) which covers just about any institution that works with animals. These new regulations require each institution to develop a contingency plan which describes what they will do with the animals in case of an emergency like Hurricane Sandy, for example. Before these new regulations went into effect, those affected by them were allowed a period of time to submit their concerns. All was done in a professional manner. The USDA took these concerns into consideration and then issued its ruling.
I simply do not understand why those who call themselves pro-choice and pro-woman get all up in arms at the idea of regulating their "industry" and why, when abuses occur, turn themselves inside out with denial. They would do their cause a whole lot better if they started policing themselves instead of defending shoddy doctors who run filthy clinics. It makes me wonder who is really warring on women.
