In a recent newsletter, Americans for Medical Progress noted that Montel Williams seems to have quietly ended his association with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. According to AMP,
Talk show host Montel Williams, who has multiple sclerosis,
last year joined comedian Richard Pryor, another MS patient,
in promoting PETA’s campaign to discourage contributions to
health charities that fund animal-based research.Now, there is no mention of Montel on PETA’s website–the
anti-health charities campaign page features a photo of
Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda, and quotes him,
actress Linda Blair and Richard Pryor as opposing the use
of animals in research. But no Montel.The Montel Williams Foundation last donated $300,000
and this month will donate an additional $100,000
to organizations focused on finding a cure for MS. While
much of the funding is going to clinical investigations,
there is specific mention of work with a new rat model of
MS and other preclinical work in the online news release
from the Montel Williams Foundation:
http://www.montelms.org/news/News2.aspLast week, Williams devoted his entire program to the
search for a cure and new treatments for MS. He
included biomedical researchers on the panel of experts.
Good news, but I would hope that Williams would also speak out to set the record straight on where he stands on animal research and how he came to change his mind about PETA’s anti-animal research position.
Source:
Has PETA lost another celebrity? Americans for Medical Progress, AMP News Service, April 19, 2002.