Barbara Ann Radnofsky, rival for Texan Kay Bailey Hutchison’s seat in the US Senate, calls for her opponent to take a stand on horse slaughter
Houston, Texas (Oct. 15, 2006) – Barbara Ann Radnofsky, Texas Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, took a stand on the issue of horse slaughter and legislation currently before the US Senate banning the practice, calling on her opponent Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison to voice her opinion on the bill.
Two of the three horse slaughter plants operating in this country are in Texas. Polls show that a majority of Texans are firmly against it, and support federal legislation amending the Horse Protection Act making horse slaughter and export for slaughter illegal. The companion bill to S. 1915, H.R 503, passed the U. S. House of Representatives 263-146 and is now awaiting a vote in the Senate.
Radnofsky made this statement to the horse advocate group, Int’l Fund for Horses, “I absolutely support the bill. I call on my opponent to denounce the overbreeding fueling the market for slaughtered horsemeat.”
Horses endure incredible hardships on the way to slaughter, but that is nothing compared with the cruelty that awaits them at the slaughter plant. Statistics gathered by one of the largest horse theft prevention organizations in the country, Stolen Horses International, shows that 60% of horses stolen end up at horse slaughter plants. This is a violation of the property rights of horse owners that can never be remedied.
“Without this bill, horse theft and abuse will continue to increase,” adds Radnofsky.
“Barbara Ann Radnofsky’s position on this issue is welcome news,” comments Int’l Fund for Horses President, Vivian Farrell. “Between Cornyn’s hostility towards the bill, and Hutchison’s do nothing attitude, Texans are looking for a voice in Washington. They have certainly not gotten it on the horse slaughter issue.”
In sharp contrast to Radnofsky’s support for the bill, her rival in the Senate race, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), has been on the fence since the bill was introduced in October 2005.
Members of the Int’l Fund for Horses’ Texans for Horses group have been contacting Senator Hutchison consistently, with frustrating results.
“When I telephoned Senator Hutchison’s office before the mid-term election break in an effort to get an answer on behalf of our Texas constituents, I was surprised by the less than friendly reception I received,” comments Farrell. “When I finally got through to Hutchison’s aide, he told me that he had spoken to the Senator and that as far as she is concerned, the horse slaughter bill is a “non-issue” and “not on her radar.”
Radnofsky is clearly dedicated to representing the concerns of all Texans and not afraid to take a stand on the issues important to them.
“For Texans who want to see the practice of horse slaughter banned, Barbara Ann Radnofsky offers a superior alternative to what we already have in Washington,” concludes Farrell.
A U.S. Senate debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters and KLRN-TV will be taped and then broadcast at 9:00 p.m. (CST) on all PBS affiliates throughout the state on Thursday, October 19. Barbara Ann Radnofsky, Scott Jameson, and Kay Bailey Hutchison have all confirmed participation in the debate.
Fund for Horses 