14 DAY TRIAL // PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is no stranger to controversy, sometimes this being the only method by which the group can draw media attention to the problems that require a solution. From having models standing in window shops with nothing on them but large cardboards bearing animal-friendly messages, to coming up with wills that will perhaps never be put into practice and then posting them online, PETA has done it all.
The last part of the above statement refers, for more clarity, to the will of PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, who has caused a new wave of controversy by posting it online. It is not, however, the fact that she made it public that has gotten the entire local and international media talking, but rather that, in it, she disposes of her body in ways no one would have imagined before.
From taking a piece of her “meat” to make a “human hamburger,” to taking out one of her eyes and send it to the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a sign that “PETA will continue to be watching,” the entire will is thought in such a way as to ensure that the president’s legacy will continue long after she’s gone.
“While the final decision as to the use of my body remains with PETA, I make the following suggested directions: That the “meat” of my body, or a portion thereof, be used for a human barbecue, to remind the world that the meat of a corpse is all flesh, regardless of whether it comes from a human being or another animal, and that flesh foods are not needed.” Newkirk says in the will. She then immediately adds that her skin should get similar treatment, with a portion of it being used to make a purse or another accessory, to show the fashion industry that skin is skin no matter if it comes from a person or an animal.
“That my liver be vacuum-packed and shipped, in whole or in part, to France, to there be used in a public appeal to persuade shoppers not to support the vile practice of force-feeding geese and ducks for foie gras; That one of my ears be removed, mounted, and sent to the Canadian Parliament to assist them in hearing, for the first time perhaps, the screams of the seals, bears, raccoons, foxes, and minks bludgeoned, trapped, and sometimes skinned alive for their pelts; that the other ear be removed, preserved, and displayed outside the Deonar abattoir in Mumbai to remind all who do business there that the screams of the cattle who are slaughtered within its walls are heard around the world.” Newkirk explains in two of the following paragraphs of her will.
In the same document, made public on the official PETA webpage, Newkirk also makes stipulations in case authorities might not allow the organization to see that her wishes are met. In this sense, she tells her directions should be carried out in any other country whose legislation might allow for it, if such a thing proves impossible in the US, the UK and India.