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American Veterinary Medical Association Betrays Veterinarian's
Oath
to "use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit
of society through the
[promotion of public health], protection
of animal health, and the relief of animal suffering."
"We have an obligation to provide proper care even if the
economics do not support it."
--William B. Chase, DVM, Symposium
on Poultry Management and Production, July 11, 1999
Instead of leading the campaign to ban forced molting, the
AVMA continues to betray its Oath in favor of cruel economic
practices that the AVMA's own research has shown to be inhumane
and disease-producing. At its House of Delegates meeting in July,
the AVMA vetoed a resolution to upgrade its policy statement
endorsing forced molting to a policy of opposition to forced
molting. The AVMA has been besieged by the public, thousands of
veterinarians, and virtually the entire animal protection
community in response to the national campaign being waged by
United Poultry Concerns and the Association of Veterinarians for
Animal Rights to end forced molting.
Out of career interests the AVMA has intentionally deceived
the public, betrayed the birds, and betrayed its own moral and
intellectual integrity by falsely comparing the deliberate
starvation of hens in confinement to hens who are sitting on eggs
in a state of motherhood. However, a brooding hen does not lose
her immune function and get sick in order to become a mother, as
do hens being starved in their cages. Nor does a brooding hen
forego food entirely. A brooding hen (a hen sitting on eggs)
leaves her nest every day for 10 to 15 minutes to stretch, eat,
drink, and defecate. If mother hens lost their immune function
and developed diseased reproductive systems as do hens being
force molted, chickens would have become extinct a long time ago.
Individual members of the AVMA confided to United Poultry
Concerns their personal disgust with the association's miserable
stand on forced molting at the Symposium on Poultry Management
and Production that was part of the AVMA's annual meeting in
July.
- Tell the AVMA to oppose the withholding of food from hens for
any length of time. Tell the association to live up to its oath
to protect public and animal health and relieve animal suffering.
Write to:
Richard C. Swanson, President
American Veterinary Medical Association
1931 North Meacham Rd, Suite 100
Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360
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