PETA asks Ben & Jerry’s to start using human breast milk in ice cream
October 6, 2008
Never fear, Chunky Monkey and Cherry Garcia are in no danger of being replaced by Minty Mama and Peanut Butter Booby because Ben and Jerry’s has rejected a request to use human breast milk in its ice cream.
According to The Associated Press, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals recently sent company co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield a letter requesting that they make their ice cream from human breast milk to stop cruelty to cows.
Few have taken the attempt seriously, and there are many questions left unanswered as to how and why this should be done.
“Who are they going to get this milk from?” said Andrew Herbig, assistant professor of biology.
Herbig called the feasibility of women producing enough milk to manufacture ice cream far fetched.
John Paul, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology, said that PETA’s attempts to raise awareness about their cause have been extreme in the past. He says that this latest attempt is nothing but sensationalism.
“The more shocking it is, the more attention they get,” said Paul.
Paul cites PETA’s request for convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh to become a vegan. PETA wanted McVeigh, convicted on 168 counts of first degree murder, to become a vegan in his last days so that he would not be responsible for taking any more lives. Though McVeigh declined their request, his final meal consisted of two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Though only vegetarian and not vegan, PETA lauded McVeigh as a hero.
According to Mary Tagge, clinical coordinator of Mother’s Milk Bank at Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver, Colo., human breast milk is considered a human tissue and is subject to tissue licensing laws. Therefore, the sale of breast milk is illegal in some states, rendering the request pointless.
Paul describes PETA’s techniques as artistic protests in the form of theater and said that PETA’s sensationalism negates their legitimacy.
“They lack legitimacy,” said Paul. “They lack any real solutions.”