Animal protection? It has always been in question whether animals deserve the same rights as humans. My answer to this is yes, they are living creatures. I’ve encountered many people whose response is, “No animals cannot feel.” Sometimes I just want to slap them when they hit me with that response. I’ve always had a huge love for animals, it’s one of the main reasons why I wish to become a vet in the future. Sometimes I think that we do not deserve animals. They are so sweet, loving, and always there for us, but at times we take them for granted.
Last quarter I took a course called “Intro to Animal Science” and the professor quoted a quote that a philosopher once said and it left me thinking. Jeremy Bentham stated, “The question is not, can they reason?, nor can they talk but, can they suffer?” This left people in awe. It is something to think about. What is the difference from you and an animal? You can talk and express your feelings and pain while they can’t? They make noises, some bark while others squeal, that could be their version of speaking, but we just because it is not actual words it shouldn’t be taking into consideration? Just like humans they experience pain, depression, loneliness, and other feelings, but they simply cannot say it out loud or in the form that we can. In this blog I wish to further educated myself on this topic. I want to find different perspectives on this topic, but that are backed up with facts, find research evidence, and simply see how much the laws to protect animals have changed over time.
In the United States, animal protection laws can be enacted and enforced on at government level but most animal protection legislation , at state or local level. There are two types of laws: Federal Animal Protection laws and State and Local Animal Protection laws. One of the federal animal protection laws I am most familiar with is the Animal Welfare Act. The Animal Welfare Act was signed in 1966 and is the only Federal law that determines the treatment of animals in research, exhibitions, and transports. For State and Local Animal Protection laws it can vary from state to state and focuses mainly on companion animals. One of the most common law for this category is called the “hot car” law. I am pretty sure the vast majority of people know what law this is, but if not then I will say it. It is a law that prohibited peopleeducate leaving unattended domestic animals, most common animals are dogs, in a vehicle when the temperatures are rising. Over 25 states have some form of this law and that is great but what about the rest of the states?
I believe this specific topic is overlooked. There are so many laws placed but most of them do the bare minimum or are not specific enough so people decide to cheat their way around it. For example, the Animal Welfare Act protects how animals in research are obtained and maintained, but fails to protect the how the animals can be used. I am not against animals being used for research purposes but there are times where they are putting the animal in unnecessary research projects that in the end are killing millions of animals every year. I know that at the end of the day animal cruelty will always be an issue and that is why it warms my heart to know there are non-profit organizations who focus on getting laws passed to help animals receive a better life, gain more rights for protections and rehabilitate them.
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