Vegetarianism

5 Pages 1249 Words

“You know, it’s shocking how much violence goes on in our civilized world.” my mother says as she bites into a cheeseburger. Believe it or not, that cheeseburger is a direct product of uncivilized violence, a cause that hundreds of millions of Americans support every day. The meat industry kills nine billion animals every year and contributes to extensive deforestation and pollution. It causes everything from heart disease to breast cancer in millions of people worldwide. Vegetarianism is the best way to save animals’ lives, to help the environment, and to achieve optimum health.
There are strong health, environmental, and ethical reasons for choosing a vegetarian diet, while the reasons against are habit and convenience. When you think of the consequences of eating animal products in today’s society, it seems that vegetarianism is the prudent choice. (Stepatnik 28) Seven percent of Americans are vegetarians, they do not eat any meat; .5 percent of Americans are strict vegetarians - vegans - eating no animal products whatsoever. This paper is an introduction to why choosing a vegetarian lifestyle is essential for protecting animals, the environment, and personal health.
The animals in one factory can total tens of thousands, all part of the nine billion slaughtered every year in the United States. (Last Chance…) Animals in slaughterhouses can smell, hear, and often see the slaughter of those before them. As the animals struggle from fright, the human workers who are pressured to keep the lines moving quickly often react with impatience toward the animals. (Brown) The treatment of animals is disgusting. Branding, castrating, dehorning, tail docking, and clipping of animals raised for food are standard practices and are often preformed without anesthesia. (Robbins 92)
Factory farms and slaughterhouses are usually unsanitary and below FDA standards for conditions of the animals in them. In order to produce the ...