Dear Friends,
Recently veterinarians of the Royal
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (RSPCA) decided the invalid cow
Gangotri was in so much pain that killing
her would be an act of mercy.
How did they measure her pain? What
scientific instruments did they use for this
purpose?
None.
Fallible human opinions are what
determine whether or not a sentient being
will be deprived of their most cherished
possession — life — a possession which
cannot be returned in the event of error.
But why not ask Gangotri if she wants
to live or not? You may say we don’t
speak the same language. Fine. But just
place some nutritious food and water in
front of her and observe. If she eats, she
announces she wants to live. If she wants
to die, she will fast until death.
Gangotri was eating.
The RSPCA claims to be dedicated to
preventing cruelty. How does killing a cow
who wants to live accomplish this goal?
Either the RSPCA has foolishly acted
against their purpose or are they serving
a covert one.
May justice prevail.
Jaya Sri Guru!
Jaya Sri Gopala!
Jaya Sri Go Mata!
The CFCStaff
careforcows.org
Care for Cows in Vrindavan is a Charitable Trust
registered in India, USA, Holland and Switzerland.

The following is an article from Care For Cows about this subject.

Does Animal Euthanasia
Equal Mercy Killing?

In most countries human
euthanasia is illegal and a
punishable crime, whereas animal
euthanasia is mandatory and
forced as seen fit by independent
animal welfare societies and
government bodies.
As we've seen all too often
making headlines in the World News,
this applies even in places of worship
or sanctuaries where animals such as
the cow and bull are revered as
sacred and under religious principles
must never be killed. In most
atheistic countries there is no law
sparing 'sacred animals', and as such
basic religious rights are violated.
Euthanasia in modern terms, is
classified as being conducted
passively, non-aggressively, and
aggressively.
Passive euthanasia entails the
withholding of common treatments
(such as antibiotics, pain
medications, or surgery) or the
distribution of a medication (such as
morphine) to relieve pain, knowing
that it may also result in death
(principle of double effect). Passive
euthanasia is the most accepted
form, and it is a common practice in
most hospitals.
Non-aggressive euthanasia
entails the withdrawing of life
support and is more controversial.
Aggressive euthanasia entails the
use of lethal substances or force to
kill and is the most controversial
means. Involuntary euthanasia is
conducted against someone's will
and equates to murder. This practice
is almost always considered wrong
and is rarely debated. Involuntary
euthanasia may be administered
when the person is incapable of
making a decision and it is thus left
to a proxy. In the case of animal
euthanasia, where of course the
animal has no say, does that killing
against their will, misleadingly
termed 'putting to sleep' therefore
equate to murder?

"Putting to Sleep"

Intravenous Injection
Pets are almost always
euthanized via intravenous injection,
typically a very high dose of a
barbiturate. Unconsciousness,
respiratory then cardiac arrest follow
rapidly. For large animals, the
volumes of barbiturates required are
frequently impractical, though in
some countries (eg the UK) a cocktail
of high-potency barbiturate and
Cinchocaine is available, providing
deep unconsciousness and cardiac
arrest independently. Where
intravenous injection is not practical,
often shooting is the means of
euthanasia taken, especially for
horses and cows.
Shooting
1. Free bullet. Used for shooting
Does
mercy
Killing?
mercy
= Killing?
mercy
Killing?
horses. The horse is shot in the
forehead, with the bullet directed
down the spine through the medulla
oblongata, resulting in instant death,
if carried out by skilled personnel in
a suitable location.
2. Captive bolt. Commonly used for
cattle etc. The bolt is again fired
through the forehead causing
massive disruption of the cerebral
cortex. In cattle this merely stuns the
animal, and death must be brought
about by 'pithing' or 'exsanguination'.
The horrific meaning of these
two uncommon terms is explained
below. Bear in mind that animal
euthanasia (Greek, "good death") is
supposed to be the act of inducing
humane death in an animal. And
that these euthanasia methods are
claimed to be designed to cause
minimal pain and distress... well, at
this point we would issue a Distress
Warning for what comes next.
'Pithing' is a slaughtering
technique in which the brain of the
animal is scrambled with a tool
inserted through the hole in the skull
created by captive bolt stunning.
Pithing further immobilizes the
animal after stunning and before
exsanguination. 'Exsanguination',
also known colloquially as bleeding
out, is the fatal process of total
hypovolemia (blood loss). It is most
commonly known as "bleeding to
death." Exsanguination is used
primarily by the meat industry, as an
economical method of slaughter.
While the animal is incapacitated, a
knife is fully inserted through the
skin just behind the point of the jaw
and below the neck bones. From this
position the knife is drawn forward
severing the jugular vein, carotid
artery, and trachea. It is stated that
after cutting the animals throat,
blood should flow freely with death
occurring within a few minutes.

The Soul and it's Destiny

Today, traditional concepts of
suicide and homicide have become
blurred by phrases like "mercy
killing" and "doctor assisted suicide."
Advocates of doctor-assisted suicide
say its purpose is to end the
unremitting and excruciating pain
that often comes with diseases like
terminal cancer. But does suicide
really stop pain?
According to Vedic wisdom, the
answer is no. Rather, suicide prolongs
pain and even increases it. From the
Vedas we learn that the eternal soul,
or atma, lives on after death. For the
soul, the Bhagavad-gita says, "there
is neither birth nor death." At the
time of death the soul reincarnates,
or transmigrates from one body to
another. The soul's term in the
human or animal form is a type of
captivity. How long he stays captive
and how much he enjoys or suffers
depend on his previous acts. To kill
oneself, another human, animal, or
any life form, interrupts the soul's
prescribed term of embodiment. This
goes against natural law, or God's
law, and generates further reactions
or penalties.
For the soul in an animal form,
whose life is cut short by killing, the
soul is forced to take birth repeatedly
in the same species of life until his
karmic sentence is fulfilled. Only
then may the soul be released and
progress to ultimately attain a
human body where he has a chance
to reform his life and finally attain
liberation, in a spiritual body free
from birth and death. If the spiritual
opportunity in a human form is
wasted the soul can again fall back
into the animal species of life.
Under normal circumstances
death plunges the soul into
forgetfulness of its past life, yet
various Puranic examples relate
previous life remembrances. In the
narrative of Maharaja Bharata, the
famous king after whom the earth is
named, the monarch could still
remember his previous royal position
despite his next birth as a deer.
Karmic considerations aside,
what may be even more surprising is
that euthanasia is most often
performed for reasons other than to
relieve physical pain.

The Slippery Slope
from Euthanasia to Murder

The most comprehensive study of
the Dutch experience with human
euthanasia is the 1991 Remelink
Report, which showed that "pain was
a factor motivating requests for
euthanasia in less than half of all
cases. More importantly, pain was
the sole motivating factor in just 5%
of euthanasia cases." A study of
physicians who care for nursinghome
patients in the Netherlands
found that pain was the main
rationale in only 11% of euthanasia
requests. In the US, a Washington
state study of doctors who
performed euthanasia or assisted
suicide found that pain figured in
only 35% of the requests.
The main reasons for which
people want euthanasia - depression,
isolation, psychological
maladjustment, and lack of care -
reveal a pervasive spiritual vacuum.
According to Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a
professor at Harvard Medical School,
euthanasia is "a way of avoiding the
complex and arduous efforts
required of doctors and other
health-care providers to ensure that
dying patients receive humane,
dignified care."

Not in
the Lotus Eyes of God

The actual sign of mercy is
abstinence of killing. In fact the
Vedic pillar of religion opposing
mercy is animal slaughter. As man
does not have the ability to give life,
clearly he does not have the right to
take it. While euthanasia may
apparently give relief from days,
months, or years of physical or
mental suffering, a lifetime of
unabated misery is destined to
follow. And according to the law of
karma, the lives of such doctors
involved in euthanasia will be cut
short in their next birth, often by
acts of violence.

Vet Suicides outstrip Average

Recent studies conducted in
Australia and the UK conclude that
the alarming suicide rate among
veterinarians is nearly four times the
national average. Findings published
in the British Veterinary Association's
(BVA) journal suggested lethal
injections were the most common
method of suicide. Professor Richard
Halliwell, of the BVA, said the
suicides could be related to the stress
of putting down animals.

Animal Rescue or Persecution?

There is a growing number of so
called animal rescue organizations at
large in third world countries. In Goa,
India, such an international group
have implemented their atheistic
ways by euthanizing abandoned
cows. The organization states: "One
of the issues we have to consider
when dealing with stray cows is
continuity of care. Many of them we
will only be able to see once, so we
have to consider whether we can
achieve much (ideally a complete
cure), on that single treatment or
whether the cow is better put to
sleep. There is no point catching a
cow and treating it once, if the
condition requires continuing
treatment, which we may be unable
to give. This is especially relevant
with the cows in the towns, which
are always hard to locate and catch.
Because of this some animals that
have serious but treatable conditions
are euthanised."
If due to the organizations
incompetence and lack of resources
they cannot cope with providing
proper medical care, what right do
they have to pass their judgment and
kill these innocent cows and other
animals? Is the animal being 'put out
of it's misery' - or their misery?
According to the American
Humane Association, an estimated
9.6 million animals are euthanized in
the United States every year. The
majority of these are euthanized at
so called animal shelters, typically
after a standard period of time,
ranging from several days to several
weeks for unclaimed stray animals.

Tend the Real Need

Instead of engaging in
euthanasia, doctors and animal
owners must diligently respond to
the needs of their patients at the end
of life. Animals should not be
abandoned or 'put down' once it is
determined that cure is impossible.
Animals near the end of life must
continue to receive emotional
support, comfort care, adequate pain
control, and respect up till the time
of a natural death. This will allow the
spirit soul to move on in it's natural
evolutionary process.

For more article see CareForCows.org