The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has a Father’s Day threat up its sleeve, and the group is taking it to the airwaves. Television viewers in seven states may soon see a 30-second advertisement claiming that milk causes prostate cancer. This ridiculous tactic was most recently tried by PETA, with its highly offensive “Got Prostate Cancer?” billboard featuring New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (who did indeed suffer from the disease). PCRM’s rhetoric makes sense only when you remember that it is not a serious source of public health wisdom, but an animal-rights front group. PCRM’s president, Neal Barnard, co-chairs the multi-million-dollar Foundation to Support Animal Protection with PETA president Ingrid Newkirk. The American Medical Association has called the group’s recommendations “irresponsible and potentially dangerous to the health and welfare of Americans.” Only 4% of PCRM’s membership is actually made up of physicians.
