Animal Rights Leader Dr. Jerry Vlasak Endorses Murder Of Scientists In U.S. Senate Testimony
Vlasak First Made Comments While A Spokesman For The Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine
Washington, DC – During yesterday’s hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public works, long-time former Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine spokes-doctor Jerry Vlasak reiterated his support of murder and other violence against medical researchers whose lifesaving work requires the use of animals. Speaking of scientists who use lab rats in their search for cancer and AIDS cures, Vlasak insisted that if they “won’t stop when told to stop, one option would be to stop them using any means necessary.” Asked by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) if he endorsed the use of deadly force, Vlasak insisted that murder “would be a morally justifiable solution.”
Sen. Lautenberg challenged Dr. Vlasak to disavow his call for the death of “somebody that you don’t know, somebody’s kid, somebody’s parent, somebody’s brother, somebody’s sister” whose family members might be involved in medical research using animal models. Vlasak replied: “These are not innocent lives.”
Jerry Vlasak was defending his 2003 statement (made as a Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine spokesperson) that political assassination against doctors and other laboratory researchers “could be used quite effectively from a pragmatic standpoint … for 5 lives, 10 lives, 15 human lives, we could save a million, 2 million, 10 million non-human lives.” Great Britain has banned Vlasak and his wife (former child actress Pamelyn Ferdin) because of this and other threats.
David Martosko, the Center for Consumer Freedom’s Director of Research, issued the following statement in response to Dr. Vlasak’s disturbing testimony:
“Jerry Vlasak is one of the most outspoken supporters of animal-rights terrorism. He should be regarded as a legitimate danger to others. He should also forfeit his license to practice medicine.
“Sadly, Dr. Vlasak is just one cog in a large animal-rights machine aligned against scientists who work tirelessly to cure cancer, AIDS, and other dreaded diseases. Most Americans understand that the needs of sick women and children should come before the interests of lab rats. But Jerry Vlasak and his friends in the animal rights movement enthusiastically approve of violence and intimidation to communicate their disagreement. There’s no excuse for this behavior, whether it comes from a self-styled moral crusader like Jerry Vlasak, a misanthropic college professor like the University of Texas El Paso’s Steven Best, or a shadowy group of masked criminals like SHAC.”
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.
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