Animal Care Theory

Some feminist scholars have called to extend animal studies into feminist theory; one branch of contemporary feminist theory is care theory, involving “incorporating the voices of animals” (Donovan, 2006, p. 307). Donovan (1990) expressed that care theory implements the conviction that animals, like humans, do not want to be exploited, tortured, or killed and thus humans should not exploit, torture, or kill animals for recreation or consumption. Moreover, just as feminism has worked to integrate a variety of voices into discussion and theories, advocating for the incorporation of animals is an integral step in feminist care theory. Just as groups of people and voices have been left out and forgotten throughout history, Adams (2006) illustrates that “not only [do] we forget we are animal beings, but we are allowed to forget that animals are animal beings, too” (p. 127). Care theory consequently suggests that humans should not senselessly contribute to the suffering of other animals, as though animals do not have the criterion to be granted moral rights (Lucas, 2005; Donovan, 2006). In order to do so, self-reflection must be utilized while

Instead, Wyckoff (2014) critiqued this proposal by asserting that this would only lead to women “taking control of the structures that men have developed and used to dominate both women and nonhuman animals” (p. 729), and many feminists disregard the offer as valid. Oppressive systems do not work independently, and Wyckoff (2014) argues that sexism and speciesism, among other linked oppressions, should be addressed “as a bundled political problem” (p. 722). Following with further, some feminist scholars assert that vegetarianism and veganism are fundamental to feminist practice in order to subvert both sexism and