Developing Story: PETA Asks First Lady Jill Biden To Use “Lovely Painted Rocks” Instead Of “Chicken Eggs” For Easter

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The White House Easter Egg Roll is back again this year after its Covid hiatus in 2020 and 2021. 

The event traditionally takes place on Easter Monday which falls on April 10 this year. Families will travel to the White House for their children to participate in the holiday event. 

Not everyone is excited about the affair, however. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the animal rights group, sent a letter to the White House asking event planners to choose a substitute for real chicken eggs.

In the letter, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk made some suggestions for the event. She suggested that the event coordinators “choose instead reusable plastic or wooden eggs — or even lovely painted rocks or egg-shaped balls” 

She filled the letter, addressed to First Lady Jill Biden, will egg puns like “eggstra special.” She asked that the White House make the event one for “chickens and inclusive of all children who attend including those who don’t consume eggs for ethical, environmental, or health reasons.”

“We hope you’ll agree that while families are shelling out nearly 70% more for eggs amid the deadliest avian flu outbreak on record, now is a hopping good time to hatch an Easter tradition that is kind and doesn’t prop up the cruel egg industry,” she added.

“As an educator, you understand that we want Americans of all ages to consider who animals are, what makes them tick, and how they feel. Chickens are smart, sensitive animals who feel pain and empathy; have distinct personalities; and at just a few days old, can count and perform basic addition and subtraction.”

“Mother hens communicate with their chicks while they’re still inside the shell so that they recognize her call when they hatch. Children, who have natural empathy for animals, would be saddened to learn that the eggs at this family event came from mothers who spent their entire lives in cages smaller than a letter-sized sheet of paper, unable to lift a single wing, and were taken from her as soon as they were laid.”

“It’s a most fowl irony,” Newkirk added.

In 2016, PETA offered to donate plastic and dyeable ceramic eggs for the event. They also offered to provide a vegan breakfast for event volunteers.

Last year, the group suggested that the president and first lady sponsor a pair of rescued birds at a bird sanctuary in lieu of the event.

Even leftist Jimmy Kimmel went back to being funny to mock the letter. He asked his audience if it was possible that PETA was trying to make liberals look ridiculous.

Newkirk’s response:

“People are often quick to make a joke of things unfamiliar to them, but in this case, they would likely take the joke back and celebraste Easter with ceramic or wooden eggs if they watched PETA’s video ‘Shell to Hell’ and saw how the egg industry slices off parts of hens’ beaks, crams the birds into filthy, windowless sheds, and sends them to slaughter once their bodies wear out.”

No word on whether or not the first lady has responded to the request.