The gang at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has certainly mastered the art of shocking the public with media events and press releases.
Its rewrite of PETA President Ingrid Newkirk’s last will may top them all.
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On Monday, PETA announced that for the first time in 20 years, Newkirk rewrote her will. The reason: Her old will included references to old animal rights battles in the section she dedicated her body parts to foes.
PETA President & Founder @IngridNewkirk has plans to continue her animal rights mission even after death ✊? pic.twitter.com/JAT4EmKSoa
— PETA (@peta) June 5, 2023
For example, she directed that her left pointer finger be left to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to serve as the “Greatest Accusation on Earth.” But now that they have stopped using animals, PETA said they will receive her “thumbs-up in thanks for leaving animal acts behind.”
Her new will makes several equally pointed political statements. For example, PETA said she wants to leave body parts to the White House and King Charles III.
“On his deathbed, they asked Bob Hope where he wanted to be buried, and he replied, ‘Surprise me,’” Newkirk said. “In my case, when I die, I will hope to keep right on surprising those who harm animals, provoking conversation about speciesism, and campaigning against animal abuse,” she added.
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In announcing the will, PETA included a helpful image of which body parts of the 73-year-old animal activist should go to who and why. On their list:
- A “watchful eye” to the National Institutes of Health to remind the agency that PETA will be watching until it stops funding and conducting billions of dollars’ worth of painful experiments on animals every year
- Her lips to the president if the turkey pardon is still being held, to push the White House “to stop kissing up to the turkey industry”
- An ear to the king of Spain in protest of bullfighting
- Part of her neck to King Charles III if he has failed to cut ties with pigeon racing “since the necks of ‘losing’ birds are often wrung after they’ve endured grueling races”
