My cousins came home from school and the school is raising money for the March of Dimes. I told them that they do mean things to animals and not to donate to them. My aunt (who eats meat but cares for animals) won't donate but she really doesn't think its wrong because "It saves babies." Well my cousin told her friend about this and her friends stepmom said that "It saves babies." I am just so frustrated with this because there are other charities that don't experiment on animals and I tell them this and they shrug their shoulders. They are begining to think I am an extreamist. Well my cousins keep asking me exactly what do they do the animals and my aunt doesn't really like to talk about it. What should I do.

You can explain to them the animals life is no less important than a human.

Published data, shows again and again that most experiments performed on animals are counterproductive.

Animal experimenters use animals for all sorts of trivial purposes that cannot be considered necessary in any coherent sense. Moreover, because of the
biological differences between humans and other animals, there is always the
problem extrapolating the results of animal experiments to humans.

The billions on dollars spent on AIDS research using animals , for example, has
produced very little of use to humans suffering from AIDS.

If the humane treatment principal means anything, it means we cannot justify
animal suffering merely because it facilitates our pleasure, amusement, or
convenience or because it represents some "tradition"

You can also show them some of these websites for their viewing pleasure:

madisonmonkeys.com
marchofcrimes.com
shac7.com

Kathryn

your heart is in the right place, but your approach is from the wrong angle.

Mention that yes, the March of Dimes suppors animal testing. Mention other charities that don't. Advocate those charities. Supply websites. DON'T ride on MoD, because people highly defend organizations that fund cures for children. People do not want to hear that a charitable organization with childrens' interests is evil.

You can explain to them the animals life is no less important than a human.

shac7.com
That's a great idea if you want solidify their opinion that she's an extremist! "The babies they are saving aren't any more important than the rats they test on" how is that going to sound to your average person? I'm a vegetarian and your post (especially the part about AIDS) came off as heartless to me. It's important to think how the arguement is going to sound to the person you're talking to.

I agree with Napalm's suggestions.

madisonmonkeys.com
marchofcrimes.com
shac7.com

Kathryn

I don 't think they are appropriate for children:think:

Suggest to your family members that instead of donating to the MoD, they donate to a children's health charity that does not fund animal tests. Advocate this as the best of both worlds--they can help babies without hurting animals. Visit www.humaneseal.org for a list of humane charities.

If your family insists on giving to the MoD, ask that they "earmark" their donations for non-vivisection purposes. Ask them to write a note on their donation slip specifying that their donation be used for non-animal projects only.

Tell them to save money for a new TV or something.

I'm a vegetarian and your post (especially the part about AIDS) came off as heartless to me.Why was the AIDS part offensive? You mean you have evidence that vivisection has been very beneficial in fighting against AIDS?

I'm not getting into it.

Well I've gotten my very first angry parent call. The mother was very nice about it and told me that her daughter is collecting b/c she and her sisters were preemies and the march of dimes prolly saved their lives. And she told me she went on the website and they claim they only experiment on fruit flies and rats. Well supposedly my cousin went to school and told everyone not to donate to this b/c they kill animals and now everyone is calling this little girl "animal killer", and coming home every night crying. She went on to say that she respects our beliefs and blah blah blah. I told her I respect hers but I heard they test on kittens and monkeys and would try talking to my cousins. Well my aunt was furious. She said that she doesn't want her kids knowing these things and doesn't want them to be outcasts and one sided on everything. Like fur if someone wants to wear a little trim that's OK. That if everyone started wearing fur she would want her children to so they wouldn't stand out. This is supposed to be a woman who loves animals. I understand if that's how she wants to raise her kids theres nothing I can do about it. And I won't interfere anymore. But it still makes me angry b/c our voices are the only defense for animals.