Will Chicago Flip-Flop on Animal Cruelty?

The Humane Society of the United States urges mayor and city council to stand by humane measure

Today, The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal welfare organization, urged the Chicago City Council to stand firm and not retreat from its ordinance prohibiting the sale of foie gras.

In full-page ads in today's Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times, HSUS thanked the city council for its historic vote in April 2006, by a margin of 48 - 1, to oppose animal cruelty and ban the sale of foie gras in the city.

Mayor Richard M. Daley has called for a repeal of the ordinance. And there have been news reports indicating that opponents may try to circumvent an important City Council committee and rush a repeal to the Council floor as early as Wednesday, when the new council is set to meet for the first time.

"Repealing this humane law would be just as tough to swallow as the cruel force-feeding of ducks and geese," stated Michael Markarian, executive vice president of The HSUS.

Foie gras is the diseased, fattened liver of factory-farmed ducks. To produce foie gras, producers force-feed ducks an unnatural amount of food through a pipe thrust down their throats until their livers expand to ten or more times their natural size. This force-feeding can cause painful bruising, lacerations, sores, organ rupture, and even death.

"Our city is better for taking a stance against cruelty to animals," said Alderman Joe Moore (49th Ward), the principal sponsor of the ordinance. "We made the case for compassion and human decency. Now, let's move on to other pressing matters."

Last week, Alderman Ed Smith (28th Ward), chairman of the Health Committee, threatened to resign if his committee was bypassed and the ban was repealed, stating, "My manhood, my integrity is at stake. We have never before called up an ordinance that was passed in the City Council and repealed it. I thought it was wrong and I was ready to resign as chairman of the committee, but it didn't come up."

A PDF of the ad is available at humanesociety.org/chicagofoiegras.

Facts

·        There are more than 63,000 HSUS supporters in Chicago, an average of 1,300 members per ward.

·  The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times have circulations of more than 566,000 and 432,000, respectively.

·        When Chicago passed the ordinance, it joined California and more than a dozen countries—including the United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland—in taking legislative action on the issue of foie gras and cruel force-feeding practices. Even the Pope has condemned it.

·  In 2005, the Illinois State Senate unanimously passed similar legislation banning foie gras production.

·        A 2005 Zogby poll revealed 79 percent of likely Illinois voters agree that foie gras production should be outlawed.

Timeline

·  March 2007—Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck announces that he will no longer use foie gras.

·  March 2007—Hot Doug's eatery becomes the first business fined under the ordinance.

·        November 2006—The HSUS, Farm Sanctuary, Heartland Café, Bistro Campagne, and two Chicago residents file a petition to intervene in an Illinois Restaurant Association lawsuit challenging Chicago's foie gras ordinance.

·  September 2006—Alderman Joe Moore is joined by experts in animal welfare, ethics, the law, religious leaders and representatives from humane organizations, in calling upon the Chicago City Council to stand by its foie gras ban.

·        August 2006—Chicago's foie gras ban takes effect.

·  April 2006—Chicago City Council overwhelmingly passes ordinance by a vote of 48-1 banning the sale of foie gras within the city.

·  October 2005—Alderman Moore's proposed ban gains the unanimous support of the Chicago City Council Committee on Health before entering the council for a vote.

·        August 2004—California bans the production and sale of foie gras, effective 2012.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization—backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty—on the web at www.humanesociety.org.

-30-