Sandra Bernhard
Sandra Bernhard and Animal Rights
Sandra Bernhard’s support for animal rights is well documented. She was featured in an advertisement sponsored by PETA opposing the production of Premarin, the most widely prescribed estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) in North America. Made from hormones extracted from the estrogen-rich urine of pregnant mares, Bernhard has publicly assisted PETA’s campaign efforts to deny American women access to this highly effective and popular form of ERT. 1
Bernhard also received PETA’s “Advertising Award,” presented at the animal rights group’s 1996 Animals Ball and Humanitarian Awards Gala held on the lot of Paramount Studios in Los Angles, CA. 2 Those honored were “instrumental” in focusing public attention on animal “cruelty” in laboratories and other animal industries. 3
Bernhard and Disease Research
Despite PETA’s clear opposition to animal research, an important resource in developing treatments and possibly even cures for AIDS and cancer, Bernhard has simultaneously supported various charities fighting these same diseases.
Recently, Bernhard offered her public support in the fight against cancer. In April 1997, Bernhard preformed with the Comedysportz All-Stars to raise money for “Gilda’s Club,” a cancer support center named for television comedienne Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989. 4, 5
In 1994, Bernhard attended a California fashion industry’s tribute to designer Isaac Mizrahi, which raised $500,000 for AIDS Project Los Angles (APLA). 6 The same year, Bernhard also attended a Playboy AIDS benefit. 7 In 1990, she attended a movie premiere of “Stella,” which benefited APLA and American Foundation for AIDS Research. The event raised more than $140,000, and the proceeds were split between the two organizations. 8
Bernhard was also a “star usher” at the Commitment to Life Benefit for APLA in 1987. At the benefit, geneticist Mathilde Krim, Ph.D, was honored for her work as a research scientist at Columbia University. Dr. Krim stated that she accepted the award “in the name of all those who work in the laboratories and hospitals battling AIDS, and also those who are fighting AIDS in their own bodies.” 9
Disease Research Breakthroughs
Made Possible by Animal Research
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A drug found to be effective against ovarian cancer is Taxol, a derivative from yew bark that first proved to be successful in killing several types of mouse tumors. When tested in women, it often brought remission of ovarian cancer. 10
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Much of our understanding of HIV comes from studying comparable retro-viruses in animals such as sheep, horses, cats and primates. 11
The Impact of Ovarian Cancer / AIDS
- Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of
the female reproductive system and accounts for four percent of
all cancers among American women. 12
- In 1996, the estimated prevalence of ovarian cancer exceeded
180,000. 13
- Approximately 28 million people worldwide are currently infected
with HIV. In the United States, there is one AIDS-related death
every 15 minutes, and someone is infected with HIV every 13 minutes.
14
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of U.S. Women diagnosed with AIDS increased by 63 percent from 1991 to 1995. 15
References
1. Animal Times (PETA), Spring, 1996.
2. PETA press/promotional materials, December, 1996.
3. Paramount Pictures Press Brief, November 20, 1996.
4. PR Newswire, March 31, 1997.
5. Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, April 21, 1996.
6. Chicago Tribune, June 2, 1994.
8. Los Angeles Times, February 2, 1990.
9. Los Angeles Times, November 3, 1987.
10. Wall Street Journal, April 9, 1991.
11. "AIDS Viruses of Animals and Man," Los Alamos Science, Fall 1989.
12. "Cancer Facts and Figures – 1998," American Cancer Society.
13. NCI Fact Book, National Institutes of Health, 1996.
14. "Current AIDS Statistics," Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLADD) Website (www.glaad.org), February, 1997.
15. Washington Post, September 17, 1997.