In 2009, Alan and I joined a statewide effort to ban gas chambers in our municipal animal shelters. Up until that point, I knew that gas chambers were bad, but I didn’t really know why. As part of my research on the topic—I am not one to back a cause unless I really understand it—I watched a video of a municipal shelter gassing. It was horrific—if not for the sight of dogs being shoved into a metal box (and popping their heads back out as if playing a game), then for the shocking vocalizations that are clearly heard when the gas is being administered. I knew then that I could only support the one method of euthanasia endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States: lethal injection.
And then I found a new book to read…
Prompted by an article in Reader’s Digest about one of Hitler’s death camps in Poland, I started to research what really happens during gassing. I found a book called The Last Gasp (which should be required reading for all of us, but especially those of us against capital punishment and/or who wish to see gas chambers removed from our so-called animal shelters). In just 20 pages, my belief that gas chambers should be banned has become even more solid, but something else is happening, too. My notions of humane euthanasia, of any kind, are being turned on their head.
I will keep you informed as I read more.
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