Washington, DC – The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a radical animal rights group masquerading as a medical charity, has sunk to a new low. PCRM is using the discovery of a single, isolated case of mad cow disease as ammunition to further the cause of its parent group, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Today the Center for Consumer Freedom called on PCRM to stop misleading Americans and come clean about its animal-rights motive for attacking Americans who eat meat.
PCRM has well-documented ties to the animal rights movement, including nearly $1 million in financing from PETA. PCRM’s president, a non-practicing psychiatrist named Neal Barnard, sits on the board of The PETA Foundation along with PETA co-founder Ingrid Newkirk. PCRM has asserted itself as a home for anti-meat nutrition zealots who promote strict vegan eating at the expense of good health and common sense.
David Martosko, Director of Research at the Center for Consumer Freedom, said: “The mission of this phony ‘Physicians Committee’ is the same as PETA’s: to remove meat from our diets by any means necessary. In the face of mad-cow fear, the group is actually advising people to stay away from chicken as well. Steering an unsuspecting public toward a radical animal-rights lifestyle isn’t very ‘responsible’.”
The American Medical Association has soundly rejected PCRM’s advice in the past, calling the group’s recommendations “irresponsible and potentially dangerous to the health and welfare of Americans.” In a public censure, the AMA has marveled at “how effectively a fringe organization of questionable repute continues to hoodwink the media with a series of questionable research that fails to enhance public health.”
Martosko added: “It’s disturbing, but not surprising, that PCRM would try to stir up fear to advance its radical agenda. Thankfully, most Americans know better than to take dietary advice from PETA. But when animal rights lunatics put on the sheep’s clothing of the medical profession, the media and the public end up being seriously misled.”
The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies, and consumers working together to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices. To learn more, visit www.ConsumerFreedom.com.
