Why not Animal Rights?

Kelly Crouch

Many people wonder about the differences between animal rights and animal welfare as they sit on the couch petting Fluffy or play catch with Fido.  Who would argue with improving how animals are cared for world wide? The problem lies with what constitutes improvement.  The concept of “improvement” is a fundamental philosophical difference that many do not understand.

The Animal Rights philosophy is that nonhuman animals have the right to live in accordance to their own natures without interference by humans. All human interference has a negative impact upon this right. Humans cannot exploit animals for food, clothing, medical advancements, or even as pets. This ignores that many species would not exist but for thousands of years of human interaction and that many of these animals would not survive well in the wild. To an animal rights philosopher your award winning Persian would be better off living the brutal and short life as a feral cat where food and shelter are not guaranteed and disease is rampant.

The Animal Rights philosophy should not be confused with a philosophy a caring about animals and seeing those animals being treated humanely – both mentally and physically.  Animal Rights is not about caring. It is about eliminating human and animal interaction at all levels step by little step. Some of the beliefs of the animal rights philosophy include:

1. Interaction at a distance only and prevent any contact with humans.
2. Pet ownership is akin to slavery.
3. No breeding of “companion animals”.
4. No use of animals for any entertainment purposes.
5. Abolition of animal research under any conditions for any purpose.
6. Abolish the use of herbicides, pesticides, and other toxic agricultural chemicals should be eliminated.
7. Do not eat meat or keep animals for the production of meat, eggs or milk.
8. Phase out farming.
9. Eliminate fur ranching and trapping.
10. Prohibit hunting, trapping and fishing.

The Animal Welfare philosophy benefits both animals and owners. Animal Welfare includes providing proper food, water, shelter, medical attention, creature comforts for pets, education to improve standards of care, and responsible animal ownership.

Consider the following the next time you contemplate the question “what’s wrong with animal rights?”

“Not only are the philosophies of animal rights and animal welfare separated by irreconcilable differences… the enactment of animal welfare measures actually impedes the achievement of animal rights…Welfare reforms, by their very nature, can only serve to retard the pace at which animal rights foals are achieved.” Gary Francione and Tom Regan, “A Movements’ Means Create its Ends,” The Animals’ Agenda, January/February 1992, pp. 40-42.