Anti-Animal Testing Protest

This blog post is about this article: Anti-Animal Testing Protest
A good friend of mine tagged me in a Facebook post saying, "this article reminds me of you".
It is from a couple years ago, but this is something I have grown increasingly passionate about over the past year, so here are my thoughts.

First, I think it is unfortunate that something this dramatic has to be done in order to raise awareness for such an archaic, outdated practice. I also find it unfortunate that protests of this caliber are not held in places (like the US) where animal testing is happening EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Many countries around world have banned or put laws into place restricting the testing of chemicals on animals for cosmetic purposes. Although we continue to make strides in this seemingly never ending battle, we are far from becoming a cruelty-free country (with regard to cosmetics). With all of the resources we now have, testing on animals is completely unnecessary and just plain depressing...

Second, I admire Jacqueline for going to such great lengths to stand up for what she believes in. The treatment she endured is similar to that of caged and helpless animals who are abused and tortured daily for no other reason than to perfect a cosmetic solution or discover new, less expensive ingredients for household items. People often turn a blind eye towards situations that make them feel uncomfortable or sad. I praise her for shedding light on this issue and bringing its sadistic nature into the streets for people to witness. If more people were aware and forced to recognize what is truly going on behind the closed doors of a laboratory, policies would change and people would be more concerned with animal rights. Animals are not humans, but that doesn't mean they don't deserve to be treated with respect. They are innocent, defenseless, and don't have a voice or free will to speak up and put an end to this.

Yes, there is a difference between her and the animals this is happening to. She has the power of free will. She is choosing to do this protest and allowing her fellow artist to conduct these experiments on her, BUT that is what makes this even more sad for animals—they don't have the option and they often die a painful, horrifying death (which is probably a relief to them after everything else they've been exposed to).

My hope is that some day we will live in a country (or even a world) that has more respect for the humans and animals that inhabit it.