PETA is urging first lady Michelle Obama to substitute fake eggs for the 19,000 real ones to be used in Monday’s Easter Egg Roll, claiming that egg production is cruel and eating them unhealthy and a violation of her “Let’s Move!” agenda.
In a video featuring young girls playing to the first lady’s heartstrings, two pre-teens say, “Just because all the other first ladies have done it doesn’t mean you have to. If all the other first ladies jumped off a bridge would you?”
The East Wing, run by the first lady, is in charge of the event. In the past, the White House has boiled 19,000 eggs for the event — 14,500 for the egg roll and egg hunt, and the rest to dye.
In their video, the kids try to turn the tables on a typical mother-daughter lecture. “I’m not mad — I’m just disappointed,” the kids begin. “Think for a second how many chickens had to spend their whole lives in a cage to lay those eggs, never seeing the sunshine.” Then they scold, “You’re planning another Easter Egg Roll with real eggs, aren’t you?”
Below is the text of Newkirk’s letter to the first lady.
For chickens on egg factory farms, Easter is not a time of renewal or joy. It can take up to 34 hours in typically hellish conditions for a hen to produce just one of the thousands of eggs slated to be used at the Easter Egg Roll. Furthermore, encouraging the consumption of cruelly sourced, unhealthy eggs is inconsistent with the goals of the “Let’s Move!” initiative. Eggs are laden with saturated animal fat and cholesterol, which are primary contributors to some of our nation’s top killers, including heart disease and strokes. One single large egg contains more cholesterol than two Big Mac sandwiches do. It’s the wrong message to send to children.
Ingrid E. Newkirk
President
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
