LIVE PIGS USED FOR MILITARY PRACTICE

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Friday, July 18, 2008.  Reports that Schofield Barracks are using live pigs to practice simulation of injury to soldiers in Iraq bring protests from Hawaiians and PETA organization.  They argue that a simulation could be used instead.

Major Derrick Cheng (Spokesman for Public Affairs) of the 25th infantry argues that the necessary medical training needs "live" tissue training, and states that " the pigs are anesthetized from beginning to end." They never feel any pain.

The whole purpose is to train medics in repairing wounds that they will find when deployed to Iraq.  This is an "opportunity to train with live tissue that best simulates with a human and provides an opportunity for that experience."

Major Cheng states that a medic even stated that there is "no comparison; this is the best training with live pigs."  He states that they do not suffer at all and it is a terminal process (they are killed after the simulation.)  They never feel any pain from beginning to end.

He explains that this is different from human simulation because it provides an experience similar to what they will have when they arrive in Iraq.

MANIFEST DESTINY OF HUMANKIND

Nevertheless, those who have empathy and seek to fulfill the Manifest Destiny of Humankind:  to be caretakers of all living things and protect the environment, believe that we must be the voice for all living things who cannot speak out for themselves, and do whatever we can to protect them.

Why should pigs suffer the consequences of a war that exists only because we fail to overcome our biological drive to compete for territory that all animals invoke, and we fail to communicate and solve problems peacefully.  As caretakers, we were bestowed with the power to overcome this biological drive to compete in battle.

Perhaps, we should spend more time caring for all living things by practicing with simulations, imperfect as that may be, and, eventually find that we will learn to care more about humans as our heart of compassion grows.

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5008 + 1.5 x 10 ¹⁰ Universal  | Chérie Phillips, Editor

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