No bullying, just a straight question for those who eat meat
Re: “Recipe for peace in the great diet war”, Have Your Say, January 6.
Robin Grant says “forcing people to adopt a diet free of meat and dairy would be an intolerable breach of basic rights”. Firstly, letter writers can never “force” readers to adopt a vegan diet. They merely offer information and hope that others will choose to make the switch.
Robin claims that preventing people from eating meat and dairy would be a breach of “basic rights”. But what about the “basic rights” of the individuals killed for their flesh, milk and eggs? Why should our “right” to eat them – for something as frivolous and unnecessary as momentary taste-bud pleasure – take precedence over their far more important right to live?
Robin says Britain’s National Health Service website states that meat provides a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals, and that’s good enough for him. But Robin is ignoring the fact that “meat” is the body of a sentient being who desired to live just as much as we do. A sentient being who feels fear and pain in exactly the same way as us. If we can readily obtain our protein, vitamins and minerals from plant sources how can we justify inflicting this suffering on our fellow animals?
Jenny Moxham
Victoria, Australia
