I think the fact that only a small minority of meat is slaughtered without pre stunning makes its own case.

It shows it's much easier to cut an animal's throat while it's paralyzed with fear after being put through an extreme epileptic seizure. It's got nothing to do with reducing the animal's suffering.

Put yourself in the animal's position and imagine that as in the state of Utah, someone is giving you a choice of how to be executed. You can either have all the blood vessels to your brain severed instantly (which will cause unconsciousness within seconds) or you can be given a blast of ECT (without premedication) first. Which would you go for?

More significantly, there is absolutely no question that American methods of intensive stock rearing cause lifelong suffering to all the animals subjected to it (read Jeffrey Masson's books for some horrible examples). Why let Christian America off when it's causing immeasurably more misery to vastly more animals, and for their entire lives?