Katherine Heigl pushes for end of ‘barbaric’ use of gas chambers to euthanize shelter animals in Utah

Longtime animal advocate Katherine Heigl is using her celebrity status to once again speak for the voiceless. This time Heigl is speaking for shelter animals.

In an interview with People, the actress explained she’s busy fighting for Utah State Legislature to pass a bill which would end the “barbaric” use of gas chambers to euthanize animals.

“Utah, sadly, is one of three states that still does this. It’s such an antiquated and, quite frankly, sadistic way of euthanizing,” she said.

Over the years Heigl has proved her love for animals by starting multiple foundations, including the Jason Heigl Foundation, and working with several organizations that support animal welfare.

However, it wasn’t until last year that the Hollywood star became aware of Utah’s use of gas chambers. She encountered a sick rescue dog who was not adopted and ended up back in a shelter. The dog was scheduled to be euthanized, but then Heigl, who has six dogs and three cats, intervened.

“We had to fight and get lawyers involved in order to get the dog out and take him to our vet to have him be humanely euthanized because none of us could bear the idea of this dog’s life ending this way.”

In January 2022, the Utah Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 69, which would require shelters use a euthanasia solution instead of a gas chamber. Unfortunately, the bill had some setbacks after a “couple of local sheriffs got up and really spoke against it and don’t want to be told how they can kill their animals,” Heigl told Forbes.

Now she’s calling on others to join the fight.

“We should be raising our voices more,” she said. “We have become a bit complacent, and these are our elected officials. They work for us, and we need to tell them what we are okay with and what we are not okay with. The use of gas chambers to euthanize the pet population in shelters is inhumane.”

I completely agree with Katherine Heigl. There is no reason we should be using gas chambers to euthanize shelter animals.

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