Emily Deschanel’s Plea: Save a Mom And Her Son By Choosing Vegan

Bones Star Exposes Cruelty to Cows and Calves on Dairy Farms in New PETA Video

For Immediate Release:
May 6, 2013

Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382

Los Angeles – Bones star Emily Deschanel is helping PETA serve up some food for thought this Mother’s Day with a new PETA video (available here) that urges moms to exercise compassion for mother cows. “As a mother, I experience the joy of raising my son every day. But not all moms are so lucky,” says Deschanel in the video. “Mother cows on dairy farms have their young traumatically torn away from them shortly after birth so that the milk meant for their calves can be sold to people instead.” Many male calves end up in veal crates, often tied by the neck, barely able to move, and then are usually slaughtered for veal when they are only 20 weeks old.

Her video goes on to reveal the dairy industry’s horrific abuse of cows—including painful “dehorning,” a process in which calves have their horns gouged out or sensitive horn tissue burned out of their heads without any painkillers—as well as the damaging health effects that the consumption of dairy products can have on kids’ health, including allergies, acne, and type 1 diabetes.

“The best way to help cows abused by the dairy industry and keep your family healthy is to stock your fridge with delicious vegan foods,” concludes Deschanel. “Please join me in standing up for all mothers by refusing to support the cruel dairy industry.”

In her video, Deschanel also explains how many male calves, who are considered a byproduct of the dairy industry, spend their short lives in tiny veal crates, while most female calves are destined for the same fate as their mothers: repeated artificial insemination until their bodies give out and they are slaughtered for hamburger meat.

Deschanel is part of a growing list of celebrities—including Casey Affleck, Joaquin Phoenix, Alicia Silverstone, and Mayim Bialik—who have teamed up with PETA to promote vegan foods, including soy, almond, oat, and rice milks and cheeses, which contain zero cholesterol and are usually lower in fat.

A broadcast-quality version of Deschanel’s video can be downloaded here. For more information, please visit PETA.org or click here.