PCRM Billboards Educate March of Dimes Walkers

Participants at March of Dimes WalkAmerica events have one goal in mind: raising money to help babies through effective medical research. PCRM’s goal in placing mobile billboards at many WalkAmerica events was to educate those participants that much of that money goes toward funding ineffective and cruel animal research.

“Tell the March of Dimes wasteful animal experiments don’t help babies.” That was the message of the mobile billboards that were placed at WalkAmerica events in Washington, D.C., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Dallas, Houston, Tucson, Ariz., and Atlanta. Walkers in Peoria, Ariz., received PCRM’s message from an aerial banner circling overhead. Along with the billboards, many PCRM members and volunteers helped pass out leaflets and answer questions.

Over the years, the March of Dimes has funded a series of controversial experiments, including injecting pregnant animals with cocaine, nicotine, and alcohol; tethering pregnant monkeys to cages by monitoring cables running through the mothers' uteruses and into their fetuses’ bodies; sewing shut the eyelids of newborn kittens; and deliberately injuring the lungs of newborn lambs. Not only are these experiments cruel but they have failed to lead to any advances in preventing or understanding birth defects.

The rates of almost all birth defects have either remained steady or increased in this country, the number of preterm births has risen steadily since 1969, and the rate of maternal mortality has not improved since the 1980s.

The March of Dimes spends up to $30 million of its donations annually on animal experiments that can potentially mislead and hinder progress for humans. This is money that could be used exclusively to fund worthwhile services, including prenatal care, education, social programs, and human-based research.

What You Can Do

• Contact the corporate headquarters of companies that sponsor the March of Dimes and encourage them to redirect their funding to humane charities.
• Request sponsor packs to distribute to your local branches of companies that support the March of Dimes. These packs include information about the March of Dimes, as well as the list of health charities that have received the Humane Charity Seal of Approval.
• Display a Reform the March of Dimes lawn sign in your yard.
• Add Reform the March of Dimes as your friend on MySpace. You can find us at www.myspace.com/ReformMOD.

PCRM Online, May 2007

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