The transcript of the show may be found at: "http://www.abcnews.go.com/onair/2020/tra..."
A sampling of responses will be posted over the next few weeks:
November 17, 1999 To 20/20: "An honorable news station and its reporters would have presented a more unbiased story in reference to the primate portion of your broadcast. I did not see any information on the Helping Hands program out of Boston. They use capuchin monkeys who are in close direct contact with people in a category of being easily infected with any contagious disease. People with quadraplegia place their very lives in the hands of these trained monkeys with the blessing of our society. Doctors in Georgia actually prescribe a black and white capuchin named Dr. Irving to children in the pediatric ward as a highly desirable alternative therapy. I saw none of those monkeys mentioned. Are some people above the scrutiny of the supposed experts? If you are going to inform the public it is only ethical that you provide all aspects of the subject, otherwise you are no better than a cheap rag paper."
The scare tactics used to portray the personal agenda of one sector of our society are questionable. If this group had their way we would all be placed in individual protective bubbles for our safety. This would mean:
No more horses, as horseback riding might cause you to be thrown and incur broken bones, a head injury or worse yet death. Check out the horse/person/vehicle injury statistics at: http://www.law.utexas.edu/dawson/theme/c...
Equestrienne Injured in Fall from Horse California -- The Riverside Press-Enterprise carried a story on September 23 about 38- year-old woman who was hospitalized in critical condition with head injuries she suffered when she fell off a horse. The accident occurred about 5 p.m. on her property. She was taken by helicopter to the hospital.
Injured Rider Victorious in Grand Prix United Kingdom - The Belfast News Letter carried a story on June 21, 1999 by Ruth Loney about the victory of Trevor Coyle soon after his serious injury: Just a month after being seriously injured when a horse kicked him at his home at Annaghmore, Trevor Coyle won the most exciting Grand Prix in the world.
Injured Rider Airlifted for Treatment United Kingdom - The Newcastle Herald carried a story on June 21, 1999 about a rider who suffered a head injury in an accident: A 31-year-old Singleton woman was ... flown to the John Hunter Hospital after she suffered head injuries when she was thrown from a horse on a private property north-west of Singleton. The accident happened about noon. Hospital staff said the woman was in a satisfactory condition.
