to enable the slaughterer to kill the animal with a single
stroke, as the religious law prescribes. It is difficult to
imagineaclearerexampleofhowstickingstrictlytotheletter
ofalawcanpervertitsspirit.(Itshouldbenoted,however,
thatevenOrthodoxrabbisarenotunanimousinsupporting
the prohibition of stunning prior to killing; in Sweden,
Norway, and Switzerland, for example,
the rabbis haveaccepted legislation requiring thestunning
withnoexemptionsforritualslaughter.ManyMoslemshave
also accepted stunning prior to slaughter.^139 )
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals has developed a “casting pen” that permits a
conscious animal to be killed in compliance with U.S.
hygiene regulationswithout beinghoistedby theleg.This
device is now used forapproximately 80 percent of large
cattleundergoingritualslaughter,butforlessthan 10 percent
of calves.TempleGrandin of Grandin Livestock Handling
Systems,Inc.,says:“Sincereligiousslaughterisexemptfrom
theHumane SlaughterAct, some plantsare not willingto
spend money for humaneness.”^140
ThosewhodonotfollowJewishorMoslemdietarylawsmay
believethat themeat they buyhas not beenkilled in this
obsoletefashion;buttheycouldbemistaken.Formeattobe
passed as “kosher” by the Orthodox rabbis, it must, in
additiontobeingfromananimalkilledwhileconscious,have
hadtheforbiddentissues,suchasveins,lymphnodes,andthe
sciaticnerveandits branchesremoved.Cuttingtheseparts
outofthehindquartersofananimalisa laboriousbusiness
andsoonlytheforequartersaresoldaskoshermeat,andthe
remainderusuallyends up onsupermarket shelves without
anyindicationofitsorigin.Thismeansthatfarmoreanimals