Dear :

I understand that [name of sponsor] is a sponsor of the March of Dimes (MOD). I think you should look closer at MOD's activities. It is very disturbing that MOD has wasted millions of dollars on inhumane animal experiments which have contributed little or nothing to the prevention and treatment of birth defects.

It is shocking to learn that MOD has funded experiments such as the now-infamous "study" in which newborn kittens' eyelids were sewn shut and left in that condition for months before these unfortunate animals were killed. MOD has also provided money for experimenters to give nicotine, cocaine, and alcohol to animals, even though we already know from human clinical experience that these substances can harm a developing baby.

The most significant advances in birth defects research have come from human-based studies. Researchers working with human populations were responsible for identifying, among other things, the thalidomide disaster, fetal rubella syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, the association of folic acid deficiency with spinal cord abnormalities, the effects of lead and methyl mercury on development, and the role of magnesium sulfate in potentially preventing the majority of cerebral palsy and mental retardation in very low-birth-weight babies.

More than 35,000 people have already written to March of Dimes to express their outrage about its ongoing wasteful and cruel animal experiments. A recent public opinion poll indicates that most Americans prefer to support health charities that have a policy of not funding any animal experiments, such as the National Easter Seal Society, the Association of Birth Defect Children, and the American Kidney Fund. An online list of charities that do and do not fund animal experiments is available at http://www.charitiesinfo.org.

Given your support of March of Dimes, you may wish to contact the charity to express concern over its continued support for animal experiments. MOD would do well to move its funds away from animal experiments and towards more effective and much more humane, human- centered research.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

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