The Ethical Case for Animal Rights
Animals are not things. They have lungs that breathe, hearts that beat, blood that flows, eyes that see and senses that warn of danger, through nerve endings reacting to painful stimuli like heat or sharp objects. Hearing, sight and sense of smell, are, in fact, much more developed in many animals than in humans. So, we know that animals’ sensitivity to physical pain is at least as great as ours, and we also know they have the capability for mental suffering as well.
‘The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites or women for men.’
Alice Walker
The world does not ‘belong’ to humans!
Animals are treated as if they have no value and have been put here for our benefit. We trap them, hunt them, and imprison them in factory farms, laboratories, circuses, aquariums and zoos. We pollute the seas and rivers, poison the land, and destroy the forests, so the animals have nowhere left to go.
But animals hurt one another!
People sometimes argue that animals are cruel to each other, so people should not feel bad about using or hurting animals. It is true that some animals are predators who kill in order to eat. If they are carnivores, they have no choice, and need to eat meat to survive. People do not need meat to survive. Animals are not deliberately cruel; many of their actions are driven by instinct. Equally, we know they have strong bonds with their babies, and take responsibility for feeding, nurturing and defending them. People are cruel because we know the results of our actions and we know how an animal will suffer before we are cruel to them.
‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.’
Mahatma Ghandi
Why should animals have rights?
Animal rights is about having respect for all living beings, regardless of their species. Some argue that animals are not entitled to rights because they cannot understand the concept. However, babies and people with severe learning difficulties cannot understand the concept of rights but this does not prevent us from granting rights to them. Long ago, rights were denied to women and to black people, purely on the grounds of gender, race or skin colour. Today, we would not dream of discriminating against people in that way, so is it therefore OK to discriminate on grounds of species? Animals can’t speak for themselves or defend themselves, so we have to do it for them.
Human rights versus animal rights
There are those who accuse campaigners for animal rights of caring more about animals than other people. However, do we accuse those who choose to help refugees or victims of war of not caring about their own countryfolk? Or those who work for the elderly of not caring about abused children? Of course not! The issue is not whom we care about the most, but whether it is ever morally justifiable to exploit and abuse sentient beings – regardless of their species. Many people who campaign for animal rights also campaign for human rights as well.
‘Compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind.’
Dr Albert Schweitzer
Social progress
Movements for social progress usually face a long struggle. The campaigns to gain equal rights for women and for the abolition of slavery, all faced opposition as the changes they wanted seemed too radical or different. People felt threatened by this, but after those changes were made, people could see they were for the best. Politicians, scientists and businesses will not change until public pressure convinces them to do so. Anything that people can do to help animals, must be seen as a positive step forward. If you feel that hurting animals is wrong, then do something about it. Start with yourself.
