re: March of Dimes demo facts - shocking!

[Guest guest]

Margaret, thank you for reminding everyone! I know this is long, but if you care about saving millions of animals from the torture that is vivisection, I hope you'll take the time to read it. These stats are shocking. I bolded important and bolded/underlined key issues. It's very important we get the word out to the donors, and ask them to specifically tell MOD that their donations are not be used for useless animal testing. The MOD likes to claim this is due to the widespread use of fertility drugs resulting in multiple births (which are virtually always premature and often very premature with high mortality). The CDC reports that the rate of twin births has increased, but the rate of triplets and higher multiples typically produced by fertility drugs (and at highest risk) has actually decreased. What doesn’t seem to be

available are comparative stats for the U.S. versus other nations, and there is no reason to think the multiple birth rate is appreciably higher in the U.S. than in many countries ahead of us in the stats. This is a MOD cop out to cover their ass. Risk factors for premature births and birth defects are well described: (1) Maternal age is the risk is highest for the youngest and the oldest mothers (2) Lack of prenatal care often linked to poverty or lack of education linked to poverty or lack of education (3) Lack of routine medical and mental health care often (4) Unhealthy maternal behaviors (smoking, alcohol, drugs, poor nutrition, etc) (5) Maternal medical conditions (hypertension, diabetes,

obesity, infections, etc) (6) Maternal psychosocial factors (depression, stress, isolation or poor support system, mental or physical abuse, etc) (7) Multiple births, especially triplets or more (8) Genetic factors that increase risks for premature births and/or birth defects This also helps explain why poor nations often do better relative to the U.S. Many of them throw all available resources at providing prenatal and general medical care, education and counseling, and social programs for pregnant women and those of childbearing age. This results in lower rates of most risk factors, and thus lower rates of prematurity, birth defects, newborn and infant mortality, and maternal mortality and morbidity. Between 3-4% of U.S. live births are accompanied

by one or more of 45 different birth defects Birth defects are the largest cause of infant mortality (within one year of birth) [n = 6.43/1,000 live births = 26K infant deaths annually in U.S.] The most lethal birth defects are those involving the heart, GI tract, and central nervous system One in eight (12.5%) of U.S. live births are premature (<37 weeks gestation) The number of U.S. premature births is now >500K annually The percentage of U.S. premature births has increased 33% since 1981 and 18% since 1990 Premature birth and low birth weight are the largest causes for newborn mortality (within 30 days of birth) [n = 5.0/1,000 live births = 20K newborn deaths annually in U.S.] Two-thirds of infant mortality

occurs in premature babies, and half of them are directly attributable to prematurity (see next bullet point); most of the remaining two-thirds of deaths are due to birth defects (see above) Premature birth and its direct complications account for one-third of infant mortality in the U.S. each year (8-9K) The most common direct complications of premature birth leading to mortality are respiratory, GI, CNS, immune system and kidney disorders, and maternal complications (note that these complications overlap with but are not synonymous with birth defects per se) People very frequently confuse what March of Dimes (MOD) promotes for marketing purposes with the overall results of their efforts. And saving premature babies is a wonderful thing, but the skills and procedures were developed by doing just that, not by trying to create and treat the

same conditions in animals. The animal experiments came later, and if they ever were going to be useful they certainly aren’t now, when we already know how to treat these premature babies. The better question is why the rate of premature births keeps rising in the U.S. despite all the supposedly beneficial experimentation on animals. Since 1983, the U.S. premature birth rate has increased 30%. And even though the treatment of these babies has progressed tremendously (not due to animal experiments, with the possible exception of surfactant treatment), this is offset by the higher numbers of early babies. Premature births exceeded 500,000 in the U.S. for the first time in 2004. And even though many premature babies are saved, many also die needlessly each year just because they were

premature or had serious birth defects. The U.S. has fallen progressively from 12th to 43rd in the world in infant mortality between 1960 and 2006, despite spending many hundreds of millions of dollars on animal research. Meanwhile very poor nations like Cuba, Slovenia, South Korea and the Czech Republic have better infant mortality rates than our richest nation on the planet. If the U.S. had the same rate as Singapore, there would have been 19,000 fewer infant deaths in the U.S. in 2004. Unfortunately, the infant mortality rate stopped improving in the U.S. during the time we would expect to see the benefits of all the money spent on animal experiments. The CDC reported in a decade-long study that of 38 monitored birth defects, 27 increased, 9 were unchanged and only 2 decreased. This is the return on MOD’s huge investment in animal experiments? When CDC tried to update birth defect statistics in 2006 (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, January 2006), they could not do so. Why? Because there is no centralized or organized database of birth defect statistics in the U.S. Only 34 states even keep records of birth defects, and only 11 report them annually. That’s an astounding flaw in a nation that has such poor results. The CDC concluded that only one birth defect could be confirmed to have decreased nationwide in the past few decades. That is neural tube defects (spina bifida and related diseases). It is correctly reported that this is directly due to the addition of folic acid to maternal vitamins and diets, a plan that was initiated after folic acid deficiency was linked to neural tube defects in human studies---not one iota of this

advance came from animal experiments or animal drug testing. Many poor nations spend every dime on programs that have been proved to save babies and mothers---programs to prevent teenage pregnancies, provide prenatal treatment and counseling, diagnose and treat STDs and other infections, and educate mothers and young girls on nutrition, safe sex practices, and the dangers of smoking, alcohol and drugs. They don’t have the luxury of spending money on animal experiments, yet they do better than we do. Although the March of Dimes itself states that over 25% of premature births and birth defects could be prevented by proper prenatal care, and the large majority could be prevented by better medical care, education and counseling, these programs are underfunded in the U.S.

even compared to many poorer nations. Yet animal experiments receive $30 million per year from MOD, half their entire research budget. And when you ask MOD what cures or improved outcomes have resulted from animal experiments in the last decade, they refuse to answer. That’s because it’s almost impossible to identify any links between the MOD animal experiments and any improvements in outcomes for babies and mothers. In fact, 70% more mothers die during childbirth in the U.S. than in the European Union nations. So here is the truth as we see it, and our position regarding MOD: (1) MOD is an excellent and well-meaning charity with many good programs that help babies and mothers (2) MOD’s major fault is that it spends $30 million annually on animal experiments that do not translate

into benefits for babies or mothers; the hope is there but the results over decades have proved that this is bad science(3) That $30 million could help build a national birth defect database that would be critical for understanding and treating the causes of birth defects, premature births and infant mortality (4) That $30 million could also bolster medical, educational and social interventions that drastically reduce these problems in other nations that spend zero on animal experiments. We do not attack or oppose the March of Dimes; on the contrary, we support and encourage them. We cheered the walkers and runners at the WalkAmerica in Ft. Worth and Dallas, and gave them information that we hope will encourage them to ask MOD to spend their donations more wisely. We simply point out

that the huge expenditures on animal experiments are a misuse of donated money, and a blow to the hopes and prayers of families who have experienced or will experience birth defects and infant deaths that otherwise could have been avoided. Because we sincerely believe this, and because the data provided by CDC, the CIA World Factbook, the U.S Census Bureau, the World Health Organization, investigative editorials in the NY Times and LA Times, and even MOD itself prove this, we would be wrong not to point this out in a positive and productive way. Yet we are criticized for our honesty and willingness to point out where MOD falls short. So who is wearing blinkers regarding the needs of babies and mothers---us or them? The most important measure of the overall success of MOD’s

expenditures is the improvement in the four areas they measure: birth defects, premature births, infant mortality and maternal mortality. There can be no greater indication that something is dreadfully wrong than the abundant and consistent data showing that the U.S. has gotten worse in all four areas over several decades. We can do better, and that’s all we’re asking. Let's save the millions of helpless, voiceless animals that are tortured for nothing every year and tell MOD to be responsible with their $30 million dollars to teach, help and treat mothers and babies, so we can catch up with the poorest countries in success. DIRECTIONS TO DEMO: It will be at White Rock lake on April 21st at 8:00 a.m. Here are

directions: Dallas (April 21, 2007): The walk begins at Norbuck Park as always, on the Buckner Blvd. access road between Mockingbird Lane and Northwest Highway. From Hwy 75 (Central Expressway), take the Mockingbird Lane exit east for several miles. Pass the Buckner Blvd. exit on the right, and just past the next traffic light turn right onto Peavy Road. There is a parking lot on the right, and plenty of parking on side streets. The start is a short walk down the Buckner Blvd. access road toward Northwest Highway, and we will gather on the grassy slope at the underpass (can’t miss it!). The walk begins at 9:00 AM. Please arrive by 8:00 a.m. so we can begin leafleting as attendees get off the buses before the walk starts. Please try to stay for the finish of the walk, because often the best time to talk with the walkers is when they have time at

the finish.

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