Jennie Garth

Garth and Animal Rights

Known by millions for her starring role on “Beverly Hills 90210,” Jennie Garth is one of PETA’s most prized celebrities. She has lent her name and likeness in support of a variety of PETA-sponsored initiatives and her fame has heightened appeal for PETA’s agenda among many young Americans.

Recently, Garth was asked about her involvement with animal rights in an interview with Natural Living. She characterized her involvement with PETA as follows:

"About three years go, PETA contacted me and asked for some help with a particular campaign, and I’ve gotten involved with them, and other organizations, and done everything I could to help, both nationally and in Los Angeles." ¹

In 1995, Garth was the featured celebrity on the cover of PETA’s annual “Holiday Catalog,” ² and she was presented with the animal rights group’s “Live and Let Live” Award at the 1996 Animals Ball and Humanitarian Awards Gala held on the lot of Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, CA. ³

Garth and Disease Research

Garth’s father is a direct beneficiary of medical breakthroughs derived from animal-based research. Furthermore, Garth has sought to raise awareness for the perils of drug addiction. Animal studies have been critical in advancing scientific understanding of the destruction drugs cause to the human body.

When Garth was 13 years old, her father underwent triple-bypass heart surgery. Later, Garth reportedly faced the “worst emotional hurdle of her life” when her father suffered a “major heart attack and underwent four operations in 48 hours.” ⁴

Recently, Garth offered her public support for the NO-ADdiction™ Campaign, a “public, non-profit organization [that] unites with top celebrities to engage in an all-out effort to prevent drug and alcohol use among high school students.” The campaign is sponsored by the makers of the NO-AD™ line of sun care products.

Garth, characterized by the Campaign’s organizers as a “role model,” is one of several stars who will “hand select” ten students in a national essay contest. The contest is part of the Campaign’s broader goal to raise greater awareness for the “seriousness and widespread use of drugs and alcohol among today’s youth.” ⁵

Disease Research Breakthroughs
Made Possible by Animal Research

• Special heart pumps, known as left-ventricular assist devices (LVADs), proved effective in calves and are now assisting people with extreme heart ailments. It is hoped that LVADs may become a viable alternative to heart transplants. ^{6, 7}
  
  
• In 1994, scientists reported that an experimental drug had increased the growth of coronary arteries in dogs.⁸ In February 1998, a similar treatment was found to be effective in a human study conducted in Germany, creating new blood vessels and increasing the blood supply to the heart within days of injection. Heart experts say the accomplishment represents a “milestone” in the attempt to replace or complement coronary-bypass surgery. ⁹
  
  
• Japanese scientists have discovered a gene in mice that may regulate sensitivity to alcohol, a finding that could help explain why some people are more susceptible to alcohol addiction than others. This could lead to better ways to identify those vulnerable to the disease at an early age. ¹⁰
  
  
• Researchers conducting studies on rats and mice report making significant progress toward a drug that blocks the effects of cocaine on the brain, spurring hopes that an effective treatment for the addiction will soon in be reach. ¹¹

Impact of Cardiovascular Disease / Drug Addiction

• Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. ¹²
  
  
• Current estimates show that approximately 58,200,000 American suffer from one or more types of heart disease. ¹³
  
  
• Every day, more than 2,600 American die of heart disease. ¹⁴
  
  
• In 1996, an estimated 13 million Americans were illicit drug users. ¹⁵

References

1. Natural Living, June, 1997.

2. PETA Catalog, Holiday, 1995.

3. PETA press/promotional materials, December, 1996.

4. People, May 11, 1992.

5. Business Wire, January 15, 1998.

6. Science, May 3, 1996.

7. Left Ventricular Assist Device, American Heart Association Website (www.amhrt.org), 1997.

8. New York Times, January 18, 1994.

9. Wall Street Journal, February 24, 1998.

10. Science, October 24, 1997.

11. Wall Street Journal, November 19, 1996.

12. Cardiovascular Diseases, American Heart Association Website (www.amhrt.org), February, 1998.

13. Cardiovascular Diseases, American Heart Association Website (www.amhrt.org), February, 1998.

14. Cardiovascular Diseases, American Heart Association Website (www.amhrt.org), February, 1998.

15. "Illicit Drug Use," National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information Website (www.health.org), 1996.

Updated Sep 20, 2002