Letter: This Easter, give pigs a break

Thursday, March 28, 2002 | 8:30 a.m.

The Easter holiday celebrates the resurrection of the Prince of Peace. Yet, some of us still observe this special occasion by serving ham, produced by abusing and killing a sentient, innocent, gentle creature, as the centerpiece of their holiday dinner.

Americans consume a 100 million pigs annually. The cycle at a typical pig factory farm starts with breeding sows who are constantly impregnated and immobilized for three years in tiny metal "gestation stalls." Their babies are torn from them two weeks after birth and kept for six months, in filthy, crowded pens. At the slaughter house, they are frequently dismembered and skinned while still conscious. (Much of this information is available at www.bancruelfarms.org.) A dozen traditionally agricultural states have already banned or restricted these operations.

This Easter, why not set a new tradition by serving a life-affirming, nonviolent, wholesome spread of delightful vegetables, legumes, grains and fruits? (Many convenient recipes and meat-free alternatives can be found at: www.hsus.org/ace/12226.) First mandated in the Garden of Eden, it's the diet recommended by today's leading health authorities.

LAWRENCE LAMBERT