The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine for #SharkFreeVaccines

Over this past weekend, the #SharkFreeVaccines petition reached 100K signatures! What an amazing show of support for sharks. As promised, we are due for an update. Over the last month, we have been communicating and coordinating efforts with many great organizations that are joining the campaign.

One of them being the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit organization made up of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world, including over 12,000 physicians. You can read their statement on the matter below.

So what are the next steps? Due to the heightened state of the COVID-19 crisis, we are extremely sensitive and focused on realistic proposals that will not hinder any progress on the vaccine front. We are bringing in many expert voices and joining forces with science and conservation organizations as well as private companies that can help us move forward cohesively and rationally. We feel there is no benefit in reaching out to decision-makers until we have pieced together a strong and powerful movement. The petition is an added expression of public support, now that it has reached a six-figure number, but it is our coalition-building that will matter the most. Now that that is the focus, we are finalizing a coalition letter that can serve as our collective statement and are incorporating the advice we have been receiving from experts that know about the certification process of vaccines as well as the regulatory process for certification. We will continue to consult with our partner organizations to address manufacturers directly to solicit their cooperation. On every front, we are looking for opportunities to make a positive move forward.

While this campaign is important for sharks, all of us must cope with the pandemic, with anxieties about the election, and with the economic hardship of this crazy year. As a nonprofit, we are not immune to these challenges, because after all, Shark Allies is a collection of human beings. Our wish is that we all make it through these next weeks and months with less drama and hardship than is projected, no matter what side of the political spectrum we are on. We are all in this mess together, so let’s be united, not divided. Anything that creates hate and division should be recognized as something that makes us weaker. Together we can be stronger, take care of each other and take care of our planet!