Animal rights

“During the past 2 centuries, the status of animals has changed from one of no rights, in which animals could be treated in whatever way the owner saw fit, to one in which animal rights activists and their opponents debate whether animals have the same moral rights as humans.”

According to a 1995 survey, commissioned by the Associated Press, 2/3rds of Americans agree with the statement- “an animal’s right to live free of suffering should be just as important as a persons.”
“The differences between humans and animals amount to difference of degree, not of kind.”
People think because we are humans, therefore we should care and respect only human rights.
Consider the right, ‘not to be tortured.’ Torture is the intentional infliction of pain and suffering. Do smart people suffer from pain differently than dumb people? If not they why do we believe the suffering of a dog is any different or less important than our own?


I. Yes animals have rights
A. Animals have the right to live free from suffering
- Animals suffer in the same why that humans do. Animals, like humans are entitled to the basic right to live free of suffering.
B. Discrimination of the basis of species is unjust
- The mistreatment of animals is currently justified on the grounds of specisism.
C. Humans are not superior to animals
- Opponents of animal rights often insist that the inherent superiority of humankind entitles people to complete dominion over animals.
- The myth of human superiority is used as an excuse for people to exploit animals for their own needs.