Country music’s Willie Nelson is in Washington, D.C., today to protest horse slaughter. Other celebrities, including actress Bo Derek and the Barbi Twins, are joining him on Capitol Hill, where they'll show their support for the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R 503/S. 311) legislation. If passed, the act will make it illegal to transport horses for the purpose of slaughter.
In an open letter posted on TMZ.com, Nelson writes: "Our horses need your help! Join my family, Bo Derek, the Barbi Twins and a host of others in the fight to save our horses. Horses are living legends of American History yet we continue to slaughter over 100,000 horses annually. Thanks to Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), U.S. slaughterhouses were closed down. However, the cruel business of slaughter continues by crowding horses in trailers for over 700 miles to Mexico and Canada, without food or water. These plants in Mexico are killing the horses savagely, by multiple stabbings until they drop to their knees in order to slit their throats, causing them to suffer slow painful deaths. Once again, it's time to flood the phone lines and emails of our legislatures. Ask them to co-sponsor and demand a vote on the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. Come join us on Capitol Hill, November 13 and 14 to support this bill. For more information, visit
www.awionline.org and to find your member of congress go to
www.compassionindex.org/search.htm. If you would like to join me in adopting a horse, please visit habitatforhorses.org.”