Skip Nav | Home | Mobile | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Security | Support Us

World

Interview with ex-vivisector Jerry Vlasak

anti-vivisectionist | 26.04.2009 05:29 | Animal Liberation | Health | Social Struggles | World

Jerry Vlasak, MD is a board-certified surgeon specializing in trauma and critical care and a press officer for the North American Animal Liberation Press Office. He is a former vivisector who has seen the agony of animals in laboratories. He debates the scientific invalidity of animal experimentation around the world, speaks out about the benefits of a vegan diet and offers lectures on the right of all sentient beings to live free of pain and suffering.

His essays and interviews have been published in numerous journals and magazines and he has been interviewed on radio, TV and in print by journalists worldwide regarding animal rights. He resides in Los Angeles.

Jerry Vlasak, representing Sea Shepherd, examines a brutally murdered seal, 2005
Jerry Vlasak, representing Sea Shepherd, examines a brutally murdered seal, 2005

And here he is after one of the sociopathic sealers punched him in the face…..
And here he is after one of the sociopathic sealers punched him in the face…..


“Animal rights activist Amanda DeMattio’s interview with Jerry Vlasak”

4/25/09

1.) Was there any one defining moment during the time you were a vivisector where your views changed?

Although after spending a year killing animals, gathering data and writing papers I realized nothing I did would ever help my human patients, it was not until 2 or 3 years later that I realized the moral implications of taking lives to try and improve other lives. Reading books by Tom Regan and John Robbins solidified my beliefs and let me rid myself of speciesism.

2.) Looking back now, do you regret being involved in vivisection?

Yes

3.) Do you think there is ever any valid reason to test on animals?

If one was making an attempt to help an individual animal by trying a new technique or drug, when all else had failed, that could be justifiable. Just ask the same question and substitute “black people”, or “mentally handicapped children” for “animals”. Unless you are a racist, or a sexist, or a speciesist, you will understand the rights of those weaker than yourself cannot be subjugated.

4.) When did you decide to become vegan and how long have you maintained this lifestyle?

1993, after reading “Diet for a New America” by John Robbins, son of the founder of the Baskin and Robbins ice cream stores.

5.) Why is the vegan diet a good choice for our society?

A vegan diet avoids the needless exploitation, torture and killing of non-human animals. It is also a healthier diet for humans- the majority in our society die pre-maturely from heart disease, stroke and cancer, the vast majority of which is preventable by avoiding a meat-based diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol. In addition, raising animals for food adds more CO2 to the atmosphere than the entire transportation industry, and wastes immense amounts of water, topsoil and other scarce resources.

6.) The Animal Liberation Front is listed as “terrorist threat” according to our government. Why do you believe this is so?

Whenever any organization successfully threatens the status quo, those in power label them “terrorists” in order to try and destroy them. Whether its the Israeli Zionists calling Palestinians terrorists for fighting to reclaim their stolen lands and dignity, the Apartheid government of South Africa calling Nelson Mandela a terrorist for daring to oppose their racism, or animal abusers calling those who risk their freedom to free non-humans from slavery, torture and murder terrorists, its an age-old pattern of rhetoric aimed at maintaining oppression that benefits the powerful.

7.) What would you say to people who say there are better ways of going about all of this? Such as contacting your local governor or lobbying congress?

For well over 100 years animal activists have tried the usual peaceful approaches to stop animal abuse. More animals suffer and die today than ever before. Every successful liberation struggle has had to use force to stop the oppressor from abusing, exploiting and killing those who it could control, and the struggle for animal liberation is no different.

8.) In this day and age, how do you believe society views animals?

Most people view animals as property, much the same way black slaves were viewed by most people 150 years ago in this country. No matter how many people see animals as objects to do with as they please, they are wrong to do so.

9.) What do you think needs to happen in order for animals to have equal rights? Why should they have equal rights?

No one thinks non-human animals should have equal rights as humans; what good would a driver’s license or the right to vote do to a dog or cat or monkey. But non-human animals have a right to live out their lives as they see fit, and to not be exploited, imprisoned, tortured and killed by humans for their personal entertainment, greed or any other reason.

10.) What would you say to someone wishing to be involved in this movement?

Get together with others they can trust of like mind and just started do actions to help those animals around them locally that are imprisoned and/or being exploited. To begin learning about direct action, they can follow the links from here where they may take them. Only they can decide what action to take, when to get started, and how much longer the animals must wait for liberation:  http://www.animalliberationfront.com/ALFront/ALFPrime.htm

------------------------------

Jerry W. Vlasak, MD
Press Officer
North American Animal Liberation Press Office
 http://www.animalliberationpressoffice.org

“When a person places the proper value on freedom, there is nothing under the sun that she will not do to acquire that freedom. Whenever you hear a person saying he wants freedom, but in the next breath she is going to tell you what she won’t do to get it, or what he doesn’t believe in doing in order to get it, he doesn’t believe in freedom. A person who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire…or preserve his freedom.”– Malcolm X

 http://thomaspainescorner.wordpress.com

anti-vivisectionist

Publish

Publish your news

Do you need help with publishing?

/regional publish include --> /regional search include -->

World Topics

Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Server Appeal Radio Page Video Page Indymedia Cinema Offline Newsheet

secure Encrypted Page

You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.

If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech