I always hate to discuss PETA, but once again it has thrown truth and integrity to the wind with a billboard falsely linking milk drinking and autism. From the story:
A new PETA-sponsored “go vegan” campaign billboard in Newark, N.J., includes the phrase “Studies have shown a link between cow’s milk and autism.”
The animal rights group cites two studies by researchers at the University of Rome as reason for the purported “link,” even though the studies themselves do not prove any connection between milk and autism.
Dr. Susan McGrew, associate professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University, said the billboard looks more like a scare tactic rather than an evidence-based statement. “I’m concerned more about the people who don’t have autism,” McGrew said. “They will be scared that they’ll get autism if they drink milk.”
What? PETA not use evidence based research? I am tempted to sarcasm, but that should be reserved for PETA.
The autism societies aren’t amused either:
“We think the PETA ad campaign is inappropriate because it gives a misleading impression toward a cause or a treatment for autism,” said Marguerite Kirst Colston, spokeswoman for the Autism Society of America.
“This advertisement gives the impression that drinking milk causes autism, and that is not the case,” said Doreen Granpeesheh, executive director of Center for Autism and Related Disorders.
Granpeesheh said she understands PETA’s intentions of the possible benefits of the casein-free diet and pointing to milk, but she said the presentation is walking the line with how the information is perceived. “I think it’s really brave of PETA, but I don’t think you could say that there has been a link between cow’s milk and autism.”
Brave?! Good grief! (There I go again.)
Ms. Granpeesheh: PETA does not care about truth. Its intentions are not well meaning. It is pursuing an ideology and it doesn’t matter who or what gets in the way. One of the comments to the story said it well:
[H]e [PETA’s Bruce Friedrich] imagines that parents don’t see through his flip and cynical ploy, his shameful attempt to use our family members as unwilling and unwitting props in his petty little campaign against the dairy industry.
Yes. Cynical is a good word for it. So is shameful. Sigh. It still stuns me that so many people don’t know the truth about this subversive organization.
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