Whenever you think of Animal Rights what comes to mind? Do you think of animals as equals or do you think of animals as lower than lower class individuals? Let’s say that you were on a class trip to the local zoo. While walking around the exhibits you notice the gorillas are looking sad,tired, and very malnourished. You keep walking to the marine exhibit and notice most of the animals have cuts around their body. Few animals are missing body parts, look mostly ill and very malnourished.
What would you do? Would you tell the manager that he needs to do something about the way he treats the animals before you get the authorities involved. Or would you just walk away like an innocent bystander and let the animals behind plexiglass windows suffer and possibly die. In case you haven’t noticed this is a classic case of neglect in the category of animal rights. Do you think the zoo is following animal rights procedures or not? If you think not what steps do you think need to be taken to make the living situations right for the animals?
Many others wonder why we have animal rights or what they are. Animal rights are set in place so the animals can live a comfortable stress-free life. Animal rights belong to animals so they can live free from the human grasp from experiments and other human aids so that they don’t suffer. “The capacity for suffering is not just another characteristic like the capacity for language or higher mathematics. All animals have the ability to suffer in the same degree humans do. They feel pain, pleasure, fear, frustration, loneliness, and motherly love.” (PETA www.peta.org) We have that one to two percent of the human race that believe animals deserve human rights just like the human race does. Animals deserve to be free of cages and live life just any other being on this earth. Unlike others who believe that animals don’t deserve rights because they feel that they should work for them.
We as humans should respect animal rights because the rights are the pinnacle to an animals good health and happiness. Animals deserve the same happiness that we as human experience throughout our everyday life. “All animals have a purpose in life. Even a tick, a bloodsucking pest, is food for birds. If duty was a criteria for rights that would mean people who are mentally incapable don’t have any rights.” (Lin www.Thoughtco.com) Every single thing on this earth has a purpose and a life. So why is this purpose limited to just humans and not all living beings. Animals deserve the right to their own life. Many people who hate animals are only against animal rights because they believe that animals aren’t on the same pillar as them meaning that their lives mean less than a human’s or that their lives are completely worthless. It is essential that we respect animals and their rights because they are no different from us they just want to prosper. The the only reason people don’t respect animal rights is because they aren’t thought of as equals only as the bottom of the barrel lowest of the low class and not as companions.
The fight for animal rights has been in effect for centuries and people will continue to strive for these rights. The Animals need an advocate to put their rights in effect or put to make them known. They need a voice to stand up for them so that the suffering and abuse can stop. That is why we will be the voice that speaks up for them. “American Animal Protectionist believed euthanasia to be a humane end to creaturely suffering. They justified humanity’s kinship with animals through biblical ideas of gentle stewardship. They accepted animal labor as a compulsory burden of human needs.”
When the fight for animal rights began many didn’t understand why would humans fight for a right for something that couldn’t speak for itself. that’s just more of a reason to speak up. no one wants to see one animal suffer let alone a group that’s why organizations were made and movements were created to give a voice to the friend who doesn’t have one. Some humans know what it’s like to not have a voice in society which is why we have the drive to strive for a voice for somebody who cannot speak for themselves.
Whenever you greet an animal, do you have a great huge grin on your face or do you look at them with disgust. Are you giving the animal equal consideration? Do you treat the animal like you are seeing your best friend again for the first time or are you greeting your worst enemy? If you are not giving it an animal equal consideration then you are judging a book by its cover. Whenever you see an animal you need to treat them with the same love and respect that you give your family. When you look at a horse do you see a companion or do you see anything that can do labor for you for free of charge.
Whenever you think of an elephant do you see a circus performer forced to do stunts for entertainment or do you see a herd of elephants living free in the savanna? Do we view these animals as equals or do we view them as nothing? “ The basic principle of equality does not require equal four identical treatment. it requires equal consideration. Supporters of animal rights believe that animals have an inherent worth a value completely separate from their usefulness to humans.” (PETA www.peta.org ) Animals are not on this Earth to be labor workers, experiments, works of art, or entertainment.
Have you ever seen an animal tied up, or beaten until they no longer have energy to fight for their life anymore. This is abuse and it happens everyday to animals. Abuse cases for animals have been around for decades but they don’t go to trial because of the law. Well news flash most of the animals can hear and comprehend and respond to whatever we say. It is completely unfair that animals can be abused in science labs not given any pain medication. They sit in cages for hours and hours on end not being fed anything to eat or drink.
Sitting in those cold dark cages without any sunlight, physical contact of their species, or any love. Abuse cases for animal rights are mostly brought to attention because zoos provide the animals in the exhibits with the worst living conditions ever. “Cases of abuse against animals were considered infringement upon the owner’s rights of property meaning that the law doesn’t recognize animals as having their own interest.” (Yanklowitz www.thehuffingtonpost.com ) Many say animals are driven by instinct and can’t think for themselves. Well don’t humans do the same?
There are many cases with state that animals can’t choose between right and wrong meaning they don’t have morals. many animals know the difference between right and wrong. whenever you potty training animal they were taught to use the restroom outside of the house and knew eventually that if they did it inside the house and they were caught. They would do the same thing a child would do. Act like they didn’t know what you were talking about. Many don’t realize animals are very intelligent. “ Animals having rights is a contentious notion and there is a strong argument against it. Rights belong to people with moral agency and animals lack moral agency.” (Hinkle www.reason.com) Animals know the difference between right and wrong. Which shows that they have moral agency what is an insult to their intelligence. It may take time for the animal to learn what is right and wrong but humans were taught to learn what was right and wrong at a young age as well.
As an animal lover I believe animals need rights. I have seen animals from all over in the poorest living conditions possible. It hurts my heart to see animals with fear, uncertainty, and confusion on their faces. I myself have a pet in my household and I make sure she has the Freedom love and compassion that she needs every single day of her life because I feel that her life is more valuable than mine. I put my own pets needs before mine because I value animal rights so deeply. Animals don’t need to be treated like aliens under a microscope. Animals are not sources of entertainment, pieces of clothing, and works of art. Every animal in the world deserves love, compassion, and freedom. All animals deserve love and compassion otherwise they grow to hate humans because of the treatment that they receive. when that hate builds up over time the animals will soon forget what it feels like to be loved unconditionally. In today’s society animals deserve so much better than what they are receiving right now. Animals deserve their rights just like any living being on this Earth. we should view them as laborers or experiments. Animals should be viewed as companions and equals.
The problem with others who don’t want animals to have right probably have not had a special bond or connection with an animal or it is purely because they want to abused animals without having authorities involved. We need to put ourselves in the same situation that we put these animals in. would you like it if you were locked away not fed for hours and hours or even days being tortured and tested poked and prodded for experimentation. If we as humans were put in these conditions then maybe the naysayers would change their minds about saying no to animal rights. because you don’t want to see your loved one in a cold dark cage being viewed as nothing but a piece of meat to soon be discarded in the trash. Just maybe if we were put in these conditions then others would have a different opinion about animal rights.
animal rights give animals the freedom to live their life. while we have those individuals who want animals to live a prosperous and full life there are others who want them to be staying locked cold cages for experimentation. Animals deserve to be free like humans. We walk around on this Earth with freedom and Liberty. Don’t you think animals deserve the same? If you were at the zoo and saw animals in a poor living environment what would you do? Would you be the hero that saved their lives or would you be the bystander who just watched and let them die?
