i just learned that there are laws (thankfully overturned in some states) to keep farm employees from exposing their employers mistreatment of animals, or other practices that the public would find distasteful, cruel, or downright gross.
i also just learned that Premarin, an estrogen therapy given to menopausal women, is made from extracted pregnant mares urine. so there are farms dedicated to impregnating horses and extracting their urine. oh, and after the foal is born, its fattened, sold and slaughtered.
nice huh?
this led me on a mission to find out the truth (well at least my 30min online research version of the truth) and what i found is that this problem is pretty legit.
i understand women not wanting to suffer menopause. and anything afflicting ones body with discomfort is cause to beg a doctor for any remedy, even if it causes an animal to suffer or a person in a 3rd world country, but we take for granted the convenience of ignorance is bliss and don't ask often enough where things come from.
and i'm not saying its bad to eat animals or even slaughter them. but humane practices are too often lacking.
so, with that on record...heres a little quote from lcanimal.org
What is Ag Gag?
Ag Gag is a term to describe state-level legislation aimed at punishing whistleblowers on factory farms throughout the United States. These bills have recently been sweeping the nation, and are the agricultural industry’s attempt to hide the abuses and horrific conditions animals on factory farms must endure. Although each state’s Ag Gag legislation is different, they are all written to ensure abuse on factory farms are left unreported and hidden from public scrutiny.
Map of ag gag states across the U.S
Ag Gag legislation:
1) Criminalizes unauthorized video and audio recordings by activists, employees and journalists on farm premises.
2) If recordings are allowed, individuals are forced to submit footage to authorities in an unrealistically short turnaround time, making it impossible to document patterns of abuse.
3) Makes it illegal for an employee to not disclose affiliations with animal advocacy groups.
4) Are an infringement on the First Amendment to the Constitution’s right to freedom of speech and press.
Whistleblower Suppression
Whistleblowers are crucial in exposing animal cruelty, unsafe working conditions and health, labor and environmental violations. With no checks and balances on the agriculture industry, consumers are at risk of eating contaminated food and animal rights organizations, such as LCA, will no longer be able to execute undercover investigations. Some of the largest and most dangerous recalls have been a direct result of covert investigations, including the 2008 investigation of a cow slaughter plant in California where nine workers were charged with animal cruelty and 143 million tons of beef were recalled. Ag Gag is aimed at suppressing whistleblowers for the monetary damages and public humility they cause to agribusiness corporations.