Dear Editor: Sunday, May 14 is Mother’s Day, a day to celebrate the cherished bond between mother and child. Throughout the world, the dairy cow, noted for her superb nurturing qualities, has been recognized as the symbol of motherhood. Unfortunately, American dairy cows are cruelly denied the opportunity to nurture their babies. Baby calves are torn from their mothers at birth and chained by the neck in tiny wood crates, where they can only stand or lie on hard wood slats that are covered with their excrement. They are force-fed a synthetic liquid formula that is deficient in iron and fiber to render their flesh pale and anemic to the delight of veal gourmets. They are denied natural food, water, bedding, exercise, fresh air, sunshine and mother’s love. Ironically, the high-priced product of this misery is very unhealthy. The animals suffer from chronic anemia, diarrhea and respiratory disorders, and their exposed excrement promotes infections.They are kept alive with antibiotics, which handicap the consumers’ ability to protect against infectious diseases. Their flesh is loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol, which have been linked conclusively with chronic diseases that kill 1.5 million Americans annually. The European Union now requires that the calves be treated more humanely, and Great Britain has banned the veal crate altogether. But the U.S. veal industry has resisted all efforts at reform, despite widespread consumer revulsion that has lead to a steep drop in sales. Clearly, one way to honor mothers on May 14 and every other day is to protest the veal industry’s defilement of motherhood by boycotting veal. Alison Gottlieb