Background:
The debate on animal rights cannot be easily compared to other movements due to its unique methods of attracting sensational attention and then dying down after a short time in the spotlight. Concern about the wellbeing of animals has played a significant role in society for a long time. The movement gained most attention in the nineteen-seventies and has gradually developed into a larger effort in more modern times. Earlier in the growth of the animal rights concerns there were few main focuses that grabbed the attention of the public causing the formation of the movement. Since then, the movement has grown exponentially in multiple and varied areas. According to S. Plous, a psychologist from Wesleyan University, the population and popularity of the animal right movement is increasing exponentially but there is no data as to who makes up this population (Plous 2015). This can be seen in the development of animal rights in many areas. “Animal rights” is a broad term that can be broken down into subcategories. These subcategories include areas such as animals in entertainment, the meat industry, hunting and poaching animals, animal testing, and animal abuse. Each of these categories has individual arguments and statistics but share the same basic principle of an overall concern with basic animal rights. At times, some of these subcategories have been in the spotlight more than others, which is the nature of the animal right movement. Looking back at the history of this movement, it consists of major high points usually caused by a specific event getting widespread attention. The attention to the event has a short life and quickly begins to disappear from the public eye until another occurrence of abuse is publi...
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...hts want to make an improvement in the laws or to add on more laws to increase animal rights. The activists are the reason that there are laws in place right now to protect animals and their rights. Some of the policies that have been passed and out into place are based on the Animal Welfare Act and Wildlife Transportation, Hunting. An article written by Hobbs, Isaac, Hobbs, and Kerr addresses the topic of domestic food policy and trade laws. The article explains that the laws put on trade and domestic foods are a result of the increase in animal welfare standards and is put in place to inform the public. However, this article disagrees with the fact that they are informative and believes that they are harming the livestock producers due to the increase in price (Hobbs Isaac Hobbs Kerr 2002). This proves that the range of topics under animal rights is very diverse.
Throughout history, societies have been faced with many social issues affecting their citizens. Martin Luther King Jr, a civil rights leader for African Americans, was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement, a movement that fought to undo the injustices African Americans endure by American society in the 1960s. Martin expressed his disgust with the social inequality among citizens when saying “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (PETA). Taking the prominent leader’s words into consideration, we should progress as a society by participating in the animal rights movement that strives to extend the same compassion, felt by Martin Luther King Jr, to all living things (PETA). Popular criticisms report that animals are inferior to humans because they are a source of food, but I will argue that they are victims of social injustice. Validity for my animal rights argument will come from individual and organizational expert accounts and by Bioethicist Peter Singer, Author Francis Fukuyama, New York Time’s Mark Bittman and also Animal Rights organizations, such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and Animal Equality, to help prove my argument. Animals are silent victims who are loudly crying out for someone to stand up for their rights; rights that can no longer be disregarded by being overlooked. It is my belief that animals should be respected, and afforded ethical and human treatment by society instead of being looked at as a source of food. In a society where animals have no voice, it is everyone’s civic duty to participate in the animal rights movement and acknowledge animals as living beings, which...
The article mainly focuses on this issue, not mentioning the aspects of animal rights. The authors argue their points well but can have counter-arguments against some
Regan, T. and P. Singer, eds. Animal Rights and Human Obligations 2/e (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1989)
The animal rights movement is trying to get people to see exactly how animals have been treated. Most people see animal cruelty as “…unspeakable acts perpetrated by warped individuals mostly against dogs, cats, birds, and sometimes horses” (Munro, 512). Once seeing how countless animals have been treated, numerous people across the world are joining the cause to help these poor “nonhuman animals”. One reason that supports that animals deserve rights is that “non-human mammals over a year of age have mental capacities for memory, a sense of future, emotion, and self-awareness to a certain extent” (Dog˘an, 474). With this reasoning, animals have enough mental capacity to be considered subjects of life, and therefore deserve rights to support this thesis. Another reason states that “rights are defined in terms of capability of having interests” (Dog˘an, 481). Animals show an interest in living. As stated, “[a]nimals have a natural motive to live…[e]very day, they practice caution and care necessary to protect themselves. Their bodies are likewise structured for survival” (Dog˘an,
In this society, it is under law for all people have the basic rights under the universal declaration of human rights. As stated, this only benefits humans, where humans rule the world. So where does the rights of animals come from? Many people do not understand animal rights and how we should treat them equally and why. Through animal research and experimentations, humans are getting benefit and gains in the obscene inhumane ways; the poor animals are suffering through pain and distress, even though they have moral status and rights.
Along the list of ‘rights movements’, the animal rights movement has its place. Just as the internet has helped further the cause of the protesters of of wall street in the 2000’s and the “Black Lives Matter” movement in 2015, Animal Rights activists has flourished in the readily available spreading of information. Earthlings, an informative documentary on the suffering of animals, has more than half a million views on YouTube alone. Animal suffering stems from regions such as the industry and research and testing. The meat industry is a billion-dollar industry. Not only is it a billion-dollar industry, it’s also slaughters upwards of 10 billion animals a year. In recent years, top poultry producer Tyson has faced
animals. If they keep the animals, then the animal will be treated as a pet or
Lee, M. Cushmaan, C. Ames. “Counterpoint: Animals Do Not Have Rights.” Point Of View: Animal Rights
... animals in technologically intensive economies and threats to the very surgical of wild animals species” (Fellenz 74-77). Even after all this, the number of animals used in agriculture and research grows by the billions every year, in the United States. “Many animals have financial value to humans. Livestock farmers, ranchers, pharmaceutical companies, zookeepers, circus trainers, and breeders are among the many people who have a financial interest in the animal trade. If humans were to stop using animals, these people would be out of work. Many others would be deprived of their favorite sport and leisure activities” (Evans). Thanks to the many efforts done, by the many people in England and the United States, many other counties began creating animals rights as well, like Asia and South America. Still to this day, do animals rights organizations flourish worldwide.
Whether on the farm, at home, or at the dinner table, animals play an important role in everyday human life. They serve as a source of livelihood, entertainment, inspiration, and of course food and clothing to people all across the world. Yet animals can exist independent from people and, as living beings, they arguably have interests separate and apart from their utility to humanity. However, society is increasingly faced with legal, ethical, and economic dilemmas about the position for animals and the extent to which their interests should be respected, even when those interests conflict with what is best for humans. All animals should be treated respectfully but they are not equal to humans. However, animals need to have the Animal Bill of Rights because it can stop animal abuse, unnecessary animal experiments, and the death of many innocent creatures, but cannot have equal rights as humans have because we cannot ignore human suffering and focus only on animals rights.
As a human, we possess certain rights that protect us in society, however the animals we raise for food live under a much more complicated system that constantly changes. Americans have recently begun to protest animal treatment, especially in the meat industry. Many animal rights groups claim that animal farming is an inhuman practice that violates the rights of all living creatures. Farmers believe that animal right shouldn't change as any changes could cost them millions in new technology to safely care for the animals. The American farming industry poses several moral issues about animal rights which possess no easy solution, however new alternatives appear to have answers for this growing dilemma.
"The Case For Animal Rights" written by Tom Regan, promotes the equal treatment of humans and non-humans. I agree with Regan's view, as he suggests that humans and animals alike, share the experience of life, and thus share equal, inherent value.
Some people fight their dogs because they want entertainment or they just think it's funny. How could people be that cruel, would you put an end to it if you could?
Animals have their own rights as do to humans and we should respect that and give them the same respect we give each other. Animals deserve to be given those same basic rights as humans. All humans are considered equal and ethical principles and legal statutes should protect the rights of animals to live according to their own nature and remain free from exploitation. This paper is going to argue that animals deserve to have the same rights as humans and therefore, we don’t have the right to kill or harm them in any way. The premises are the following: animals are living things thus they are valuable sentient beings, animals have feeling just like humans, and animals feel pain therefore animal suffering is wrong. 2 sources I will be using for my research are “The Fight for Animal Rights” by Jamie Aronson, an article that presents an argument in favour of animal rights. It also discusses the counter argument – opponents of animal rights argue that animals have less value than humans, and as a result, are undeserving of rights. Also I will be using “Animal Liberation” by Peter Singer. This book shows many aspects; that all animals are equal is the first argument or why the ethical principle on which human equality rests requires us to extend equal consideration to animals too.
Freeman, Carrie Packwood. "Framing Animal Rights in the "Go Veg" Campaigns of U.S. Animal Rights Organizations." Society & Animals 18.2 (2010): 163-182. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 21 Sept. 2011.