Tell PETA: Infertility is Not a Joke

I realize that most of the people who read this blog have not had to deal with infertility, but PETA's current campaign made me so upset that I had to share. You can also check out these websites/posts: From IF to When and Hannah Wept Sarah Laughed.

PETA is currently running a campaign where if you get your animal spayed/neutered, you can win a vasectomy. While this in and of itself might not be so bad, they are advertising that they are doing this in celebration of National Infertility Awareness Week, which is occuring later this month! Their website advertises:

"...It's a two-fer: Get your animal companion fixed, and get yourself fixed too! Human overpopulation is crowding out animal life on the planet, and dog and cat overpopulation is creating a euthanasia crisis that is a crying shame. Disappearing wilderness, vanishing water resources, and pollution is the price that future generations will pay for more human births, while losing their lives is the price that millions of homeless dogs and cats pay when guardians neglect to "fix" their companion animals.

"Every year in the U.S., an estimated 6 to 8 million lost, abandoned, or unwanted dogs and cats enter animal shelters. The best way to combat the companion-animal overpopulation crisis is to have your cat or dog neutered. And with a global population of almost 7 billion humans, more of our species could use a (voluntary) snip too.

"Now, one lucky man can be reproduction-free, free of charge, just like his pooch or feline friend. In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week (April 24 to 30), PETA will give one free vasectomy to a man who has recently had his companion cat or dog neutered..."

I'm sorry, but how does this honor infertility and the hundreds of thousands of people worldwide who are suffering from this disease? Infertility is definitely not a disease that people choose to deal with, and it offends me that it would be treated this way and that PETA thinks they can honor it by letting someone win a vasectomy. Isn't getting a vasectomy the OPPOSITE thing that most people with infertility want??? I am sure that PETA wouldn't chose to target other diseases in a similar manner in an effort to "control the population". Maybe I am over-reacting, but I really do find this to be shameful and insensitive. I would encourage anyone who finds this offensive to SIGN THIS PETITION or e-mail PETA directly at ingridn@peta.org.