Civil War at PETA?

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Apparently, few or none of the PETAns would be in favor of a Philly Cheese Steak, even if it were made with:

Test Tube Meat Update: PETA 'Civil War'

In-vitro meat has gotten a lot of attention in the last few weeks, after a recent international symposium on the subject.

PETA has now jumped in on the test tube meat action. From the group's website:

"PETA is offering a $1 million prize to the contest participant able to make the first in vitro chicken meat and sell it to the public by June 30, 2012. The contestant must do both of the following:

• Produce an in vitro chicken-meat product that has a taste and texture indistinguishable from real chicken flesh to non-meat-eaters and meat-eaters alike.
• Manufacture the approved product in large enough quantities to be sold commercially, and successfully sell it at a competitive price in at least 10 states."

The New York Times, reporting on the story, quotes PETA founder, Ingrid Newkirk, as saying that the decision to sponsor the prize led to "'a near civil war in our office,' since so many PETA members are repulsed by the thought of eating animal tissue, even if no animals are killed."

Since this touches on a host of other issues (Veganism, synthetic foods etc.), rather than attaching this to the story to the cheesesteak (Manna)thread, I gave it its own.

NOTE:

PETA = People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

NOT

People Eating Tasty Animals

as some wags would have it.