Essay On Animal Rights

Animal rights can be defined as the rights that are believed to belong to animals to live free from the use in medical research, hunting, and other services to humans. Animal Rights can often be a touchy subject, and there are numerous different opinions regarding animal rights. The purpose of this essay is to touch base on a brief history of animal rights, the laws involved, and various opinions regarding animal rights.

In England, about a hundred and eighty years ago, the first efforts to obtain legal protection for members of other species were made. If we jump forward to the post World War Two era we find the strongest base for humane groups. The reason for this is the decline of an agricultural life and the growth of a suburban way of living, thus allowing an expanding base of pet lovers. If we fast forward a little bit further to the year 1966 we will encounter the Animal Welfare Act, “The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) [1] is a federal statute that directs the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to “promulgate standards to govern the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of animals by dealers, research facilities, and exhibitors.”[2] The AWA also requires the Secretary to “promulgate standards to govern the transportation in commerce, and the handling, care, and treatment in connection therewith, by intermediate handlers, air carriers, or other carriers, of animals consigned by any . . . person . . . for transportation in commerce.”[3] The Secretary has delegated these duties to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in the USDA.” (Source 6) The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) was the first federal law in the United States that regulated animal research. It

Be a party to or cause the fighting, baiting, or shooting of an animal as described in subdivision. Rent or otherwise obtain the use of a building, shed, room, yard, ground, or premises for fighting, baiting, or shooting an animal as described in subdivision.” (Source 8) All of these laws are primary examples of the involvement of the government when it comes to animal protection, but some people would like the government to be less involved when it comes to animal rights and policy making. Some of the main arguments against animal rights are: Animals don 't think, Animals are not really conscious, Animals were put on earth to serve human beings, Animals don 't have souls, Animals don 't behave morally ,Animals are not members of the 'moral community ', Animals lack the capacity for free moral judgment, and Animals don 't think. Often times we find various opinions regarding animal rights. The opposing side could also argue that animal rights lessen the progress in advancements of the medical field. One could also say that animal rights prevents people from participating in activities that they would find to be a normal part of their everyday lives such as hunting and