Abolitionism (animal rights)

Abolitionism
Description The legal ownership of non-human animals should be abolished.
Proponents Gary Francione
Tom Regan
Subject Animal rights, ethics, law, philosophy

Abolitionism is the advocacy of animal rights that oppose all animal usage by humans and maintains that all sentient beings, humans or nonhumans, share a basic right: the right not to be treated as the property of others.[1] The word relates to the historical term abolitionism—a social movement to end slavery or human ownership of other humans.[2] Proponents believe that focusing on animal welfare reform not only fails to challenge animal suffering, but may prolong it by making the exercise of property rights over animals appear acceptable. The abolitionists' objective is to secure a moral and legal paradigm shift, whereby animals are no longer regarded as things to be owned and used. The American philosopher Tom Regan writes that abolitionists want empty cages, not bigger ones. This is contrasted with animal protectionism, the position that change can be achieved by incremental improvements in animal welfare.[3]

Concepts

Gary Francione, professor of law and philosophy at Rutgers School of Law-Newark, argues from the abolitionist perspective that self-described animal-rights groups who pursue welfare concerns, such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, risk making the public feel comfortable about its use of animals. He calls such groups the "new welfarists," arguing that, though their aim is an end to animal use, the reforms they pursue are indistinguishable from reforms agreeable to traditional welfarists, who he says have no interest in abolishing animal use.[4] He argues that reform campaigns entrench the property status of animals, and validate the view that animals simply need to be treated better. Instead, he writes, the public's view that animals can be used and consumed ought to be challenged. His position is that this should be done by promoting ethical veganism.[5] Others think that this should be done by creating a public debate in society.[6]

New welfarists argue that there is no logical or practical contradiction between abolitionism and "welfarism."[7][8] Welfarists think that they can be working toward abolition, but by gradual steps, pragmatically taking into account what most people can be realistically persuaded to do in the short as well as the long term, and what suffering it is most urgent to relieve. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, for example, in addition to promoting local improvements in the treatment of animals, promote vegetarianism. And although some people believe that changing the legal status of nonhuman sentient beings[9][10] is a first step in abolishing ownership or mistreatment, unfortunately there is ample evidence that this is not the case at all.

Personhood

In 1992, Switzerland amended its constitution to recognize animals as beings and not things.[11] The dignity of animals is also protected in Switzerland.[12]

New Zealand granted basic rights to five great ape species in 1999. Their use is now forbidden in research, testing or teaching.[13]

In the interests of future generations, Germany added animal welfare in a 2002 amendment to its constitution, becoming the first European Union member to do so.[11][14][15]

In 2007, the parliament of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous province of Spain, passed the world's first legislation granting legal rights to all great apes.[16]

In 2013, India officially recognized dolphins as non-human persons.[17]

In 2014, France revised the legal status of animals from movable property to sentient beings,[9] and the province of Quebec in Canada is considering similar legislation.[10]

References

  1. ↑ The Six Principles of the Abolitionist Approach to Animal Rights
  2. ↑ "When Vegans Won't Compromise". New York Times. 16 August 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "The Torch of Reason, The Sword of Justice, animalsvoice.com". Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  4. ↑ "For the abolition of slavery, for the abolition of veganism". Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  5. ↑ Francione 1996, chapter. 5.
  6. ↑ "For the abolition of slavery, for the abolition of veganism". 2012-11-17. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  7. ↑ "Farm-animal welfare, legislation, and trade". Law and contemporary problems 325-358. Retrieved 2014-12-14.
  8. ↑ Smith, Allison; Reese, Jacy (24 March 2016). "An empirical perspective on animal advocacy". Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Les animaux ne sont plus des "meubles" (animals are no longer furniture)". Le Figaro.fr. Retrieved 2014-12-14.
  10. 1 2 "New bill aimed at modifying the legal status of animals announced". Montreal SPCA. Retrieved 2014-12-14.
  11. 1 2 "Germany guarantees animal rights in constitution". Associated Press. 2002-05-18. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  12. ↑ "Swiss constitution". 1999-04-18. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  13. ↑ Thomas Rose (2007-08-02). "A Step at a time: New Zealand's progress toward hominid rights" (PDF). CBC News.
  14. ↑ Constitutional Protection for Germany's Animals. page 13
  15. ↑ "Germany guarantees animal rights". CNN. 2002-06-21. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  16. ↑ Thomas Rose. "Going ape over human rights". CBC News. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  17. ↑ "Dolphins gain unprecedented protection in India". Retrieved 2007-08-02.

Further reading


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