Animal Cruelty: The Fight For Animal Rights

Non-human animals should have the same rights that humans have such as not being used as food, clothing, entertainment, or experimentation.

“Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to,” said Alfred A. Montapert, the author of The Supreme Philosophy Of Man. Many animals who have given people their love have been cast off or mistreated. The Humane Society Of The United States(HSUS) has made it their mission since 1954 to prevent this cruelty before it happens. The four founders of HSUS Helen Jones, Larry Andrews, Marcia Glaser, and Fred Meyers, all believed in this mission. I believe that the Humane Society Of The United States has a worthwhile and honorable mission. It is one of the best. Not only does it save thousands of animal lives each year it also works with law enforcement to investigate illegal animal cruelty. HSUS has more than 10 million members and uses its money wisely. If you donate just $19 a month to HSUS you will be doing a grand service and you will join the revolution to stop animal cruelty before it happens. You will be a part of preventing some of the

The abuse of Animals is increasing around the world, for personal and recreational uses. Animals are used in ancient and modern medicine to cure different types of illnesses and diseases. Animals are also being used for testing different types of hygiene products; which leave many of them are left scarred for life, while others are left to die in a cage. Animal rights groups around the world are working around the clock trying to stop this abuse, groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Are working around the clock to make sure such practices stop. This paper will demonstrate how modern liberals view animal rights, and how animals are viewed within society.

Catholic views on animal abuse is varied greatly. The ‘traditional’ view is that humans are made in a different image than animals. It proclaims that humans have been given ‘dominion’ over nature, meaning humans can use animals in accordance to their own needs (gen 1:28). However, many Catholics disagree and believe that God gave human ‘stewardship’ over the animals, which means we are put on this Earth to look after and care for God’s creation (Luke 12:6). There are a number of Catholic authorities that discourage animal abuse;

“Nearly as many, 68 percent, were concerned or very concerned about the well-being of animals used in ‘sports’ or contests as well as animals in laboratories (67 percent) (Kretzer, 1).” Many people question whether an animal is capable of thought and emotions. Others feel as though animals are the equivalent of humans and should be treated as such. Since the 1800’s, animal rights has been a topic that has several different sides including two extremes. If animals can react to their environment, emote, and are aware of things done to or with them, then they should have similar rights to humans.

In the article, In Defense of the Animals, the author Meg Greenfield discusses why animal rights activists’ fight for the protection of animals. Society has become numb to the brutality, pain and suffering caused to animals in pointless acts. Brutality such as clubbing baby seals to death for their skins, raising animals for food in dismal conditions and conducting scientific studies on animals for the cosmetic industries profit are unnecessary. Even when scientific experiments on animals are to find medical cures for the human race, they are practiced in uncaring methods usually ending in animals being euthanized. Animal rights activists who speak for the protection of animals has gone to the extreme by trying to stop all cure related experiments

The world will never face its atrocities and strive for change unless people present others with works of protest. There are many methods of protest, and everyone of them has the ability to bring change. John Sandford and Michelle Cook created an effective piece of protest literature in their work “Uncaged.” This book presents the horrific animal abuse that occur within laboratories, and what challenges occur with making people aware of those acts. Protest literature, as evidenced by this novel, is an effective form of protest because it promotes a passion for the issue.

In “The Case for Animal Rights” written by Tom Regan, the author analyzes reasons for why all beings should have rights, but argues in particular why animals should have basic rights, like humans. “I regard myself as an advocate of animal rights- as a part of the animal rights movement”(Regan 337). The goals of the movement include the following: not allowing the use of animals in science, commercial agriculture, and the eradication of commercial and sport hunting or trapping. Regan blantly dismisses people who claim to believe in the rights of animals, but do not put forth these goals. He rejects the thought that using animals for cosmetic research is a violation of their rights and is unacceptable, but if it is cancer research then it is permissible. “You don’t change unjust institutions by tidying them up”(Regan 337) Regan goes on to break down his paper into views which he believes that people hold in regard to animal rights, he then counters these views with thought experiments that explain why suffering and pain are only feelings that add to the fundamentally wrong system that allows animals to be seen as resources. In this paper, I will discuss Regan’s arguments, possible objections to his arguments, and provide answers to those objections using the author's point of view.

Today the world is made up of many groups fighting for the same basic right: equality.Yet, the ones who are unable to voice their opinions or speak their minds are left in the dust and at the whim of others opinions. Millions of animals all around the world are being neglected, tortured, abused, and all for the benefits of the human kind. However, there are individuals and organizations who are determined to make a change for these helpless animals such as: Peta, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Food Empowerment Project, and the list continues. Although, these animal activist groups are breaking boundaries that have never been broken before, there is still an argument for animal cruelty. The fight for animal equality is no different than the fights amongst our own kind. Nevertheless, many

Seems rhetorical, but the fact is animals live through this everyday, without even given the choice. As humans, we establish our authority among all living beings, but for what reasons? Are humans better than all other species? Or is it true that we should hold a precedence over nonhuman animals? The ultimate question then remains, should animals have as much or equal to the same rights as humans? Their are endless arguments for and against this question, and many sub arguments that go hand in hand with each side. In this paper, I will discuss the definition of what animal rights entails and expand on the history that developed it’s meaning. Furthermore, I will thoroughly discuss, reason, and explain each opinion presented by our current society as well as the positions held by previous philosophers. Lastly, I will draw a conclusion to the opinions presented by discussing my personal position on the argument of animal rights.

Animal testing protests have had a long and turbulent history. This argument is one that has been debated since the early 1960’s. It all began when animal rights activists began to take interest in the ethics, or lack thereof, of testing animals for scientific and cosmetic studies. Some of these activists call for researchers to ensure that all of their animals are humanely cared for, while other activists called for the complete end of animal testing. These debates would continue on into the 21st century. Since the inception of this debate there have been factions of radical activists, such as the Animal Rights Miltia, that focus on direct action, performing actions ranging from breaking and entering to arson and car bombings. The issue

The study of good and bad, right and wrong, moral principles or value held by a person or society, promoting human welfare, maximizing freedom minimizing pain and suffering is called ethics. The discipline that studies the moral relationship of human beings and also the value and moral status of the environment and its non-human contents is called environmental ethics. It considers the ethical relationship between the humans and the environment. Animal and animal rights are the highlighted topic in the environmental ethics.

These kinds of concerns should give people, in certain instances, the right mind to protest against animal testing. But people might not want to protest or support animal rights because of the benefits animal testing has helped develop. Animal testing has helped create many life-saving cures and treatments. The CBRA, California Biomedical Research Association, stated that “nearly every major medical breakthrough in the last 100 years was depended on research that was collected from using animals” (11). Up until recently as of 1940, if a knee scrape were to become infected, it could be a life or death

In 1966, congress passed the animal welfare law, a federal law that cover animals in research. The animal welfare act was a major advance in setting standards for testing animals, which upsets a lot of animal rights activists. Rights activists attempted to stop animal testing, which they even harass corporations that employed the practice. They run ad with a holocaust images on it to catch people attention and agreed to them that this is wrong. But critics often argue that animal’s rights activists are willing to put animals needs before human. Furthermore, denying animals does not mean we should treat them without

For many years now the world has seen controversy over the rights of animals and if they think and feel like humans do. Many people see animals as mindless creatures or as food, while others think they have emotions and can feel pain. In other countries animal protection laws are in place that are strictly enforced and seem to work well with the system. In the United States however; some of the animal rights laws are considered to be useless and under-enforced (Animal Legal & Historical Center). More people today are beginning to see that animals should have rights and should be protected by laws and regulations (Animal Legal & Historical Center). Sadly there are many people residing in the United States who don’t take animal rights or protection laws seriously. These people abuse animals in many ways, including food industries that disobey the regulations set in place for the slaughter of animals used for consumption. Luckily for the animals there are people who fight for their rights and the enforcement of laws called animal rights activists.