In this article, we will share a list of reasons why animals should have rights.
Like all human beings, animals, too, have rights. Like the human rights movement, the animal rights movement aims to establish some basic code of ethics that focuses on the proper treatment of animals.
The animal rights movement calls for instilling kindness towards animals and requests equal consideration of animals irrespective of the species.
There is much debate as to whether animals have rights and what is meant by animal rights.
List of Reasons Why Animals Should Have Rights
Around the world, environmentalists and animal rights activists have been arguing for the rights of animals and ecosystems. And they are winning too.
Below are some reasons why animals should have rights:
- All animals have the right to be born, live, grow and die in a safe and healthy environment.
- Animals have the right to live in a healthy and clean atmosphere.
- To prevent the catastrophic loss of diversity of life on Earth.
- To prevent the unjust suffering of animals.
- To instil among people that speciesism is wrong and animals are sentient.
Without animal rights laid down by the law, nothing stops these animals from being exploited or harmed. So, let us elaborate on these reasons to figure out why animals should have rights:
All animals have the right to be born, live, grow and die in a safe and healthy environment.
If humans are considered living beings, then why not animals. We are all just creatures living on earth, after all. Moreover, humans and animals share a lot of biological and emotional traits. Like humans, even animals give birth, live, grow, and die, and if humans are allowed the dignity and respect to do as they will, then why not animals?
It is only right to follow the policy of live and let live, right.
Animals have the right to live in a healthy and clean atmosphere.
Similar to humans, animals have the right to live too. They should not be beaten, kicked, or tortured by humans. They are living beings too, and they must not be made fun of or exhibited for the entertainment of humans.
How would you like it if you are taken from your homes, tortured, and kept in zoos or enclosures? And kept in zoos or parks for the entertainment of others? You would not like it, right!
To prevent the catastrophic loss of diversity of life on Earth.
Biodiversity comprises of animals, plants, fungi, even microorganisms such as bacteria that make up the natural world. The loss of biodiversity can be caused due to various factors, such as habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive species, pollution and climate change.
Every living being, be it animals, plants and even bacteria, all work together much like an intricate web within the various ecosystems to maintain a balance and support life.
The intentional disruption of biodiversity due to overexploitation and destruction of natural habitats can topple over the balance maintained by all living beings.
To prevent the unjust suffering of animals.
Animals, just like humans, are entitled to their right to live in peace in their natural habitat. Furthermore, they have all the rights to take care of their own interests. Therefore, animals need to be given the same consideration as humans when it comes to their way of living.
All animals have the right to live in peace without any suffering. After all, they have their own needs, feelings and desires.
To instil among people that speciesism is wrong and animals are sentient.
Speciesism is a term used in philosophy to refer to any form of discrimination against animals. It is nothing but prejudice or bias favouring the interests of human animals against the various animal species in the world.
A simple example is how differently some animals like cows, cats, dogs are regarded differently by people of different societies.
So, speciesism is just wrong no matter which way you look at it.
Arguments In Favor Of Animal Rights
Simply put, treating animals well is just the right thing to do. They are sentient beings just like us and should be given the freedom to live as they please and should not be subjected to torture or any kind of harm simply for the pleasure of humans.
Another benefit of animal rights is its effects on the people and society as a whole, as it helps put an end to the hierarchy that impacts human rights and achieves justice for everyone.
Arguments Against Animal Rights
People who oppose animal rights are the ones that benefit from harming or exploiting animals.
They may have various arguments to support their claims. Some may say that animals are not intelligent, while others may say they do not have a soul. But that is untrue as most animals are rather intelligent and have a strict sense of morals or codes, unlike many humans.
Others just claim that animals are inferior to humans and that giving them rights just undermines the role of human beings.
Pros and Cons of Animal Rights
The primary benefit of animals rights is to protect the welfare of animals as animals are living, breathing creatures just like humans.
Here are some of the pros and cons of animal rights:
Pros:
- The death of animals for food does not really benefit human beings.
Well, we humans do not really need animal proteins to survive. If it weren’t true, then we would not have vegans and vegetarians in the world.
When animals are killed for food, it creates a huge gap in nature and can negatively affect the environment.
- Saving the lives of animals can affect our water supply.
When we talk about the water footprint, animals have a larger footprint compared to plants. And protecting animals can help conserve water.
- Tests done on animals do not guarantee the safety of humans.
Laboratories often use animals to test several medications to see if they would be safe for consumption. But the data may not be accurate always as some medications that are safe for animals may not be safe for humans.
- Preventing animal rights can get really expensive in the long run.
Animals are often used as test subjects by scientists and researchers, but not all these tests offer the desired results and the costs to run these tests keep rising with time.
- The funds used in animal rights can be used elsewhere.
In a time where people are suffering from a lot of issues, the funds allocated for animal rights can be used in other places.
Cons
- Animal rights can impact the medication testing process.
Most researchers end up testing their products on animals before actually testing them on humans. This step is taken to determine how the medication or product will react and see if it would be safe for human consumption.
Many animals have similar DNAs to humans, like rats and chimps, and these tests can actually help humankind.
- Not having human rights can reduce risks to humans.
When an animal dies following a product test or drug test, it reduces the risk to humans. It is a common belief that human life is superior to animals, making the sacrifice worthwhile.
- Animal rights require additional enforcement costs.
It would take an extra layer of law enforcement to add animal rights into the criminal justice systems, requiring additional funds.
These pros and cons will question our belief and thinking that animals are to be treated equally instead of attacking them in their natural habitats or killing them indiscriminately for our personal gains.
Conclusion
In this article, we have shared our list of reasons why animals should have rights.
We hope that this article will help make people understand that animal’s lives are as important to yours or my life. To achieve this, we need to prevent speciesism that discriminates against animals from others based on their species leading to exploitation.
FAQs on List of Reasons Why Animals Should Have Rights
What are animal rights?
Animal rights are considered a principle that is grounded in the belief that all animals have the freedom to live freely in their natural habitats without the interference of humans.
Animal rights activists strive to differentiate animals from inanimate objects by human beings. This is to prevent them from being exploited by humans and by the law.
An example of the violation of animal rights can occur when humans begin destroying animal habitats without reason and interfering in their choice to live as per their choice.
Why are animal rights important?
Animal rights and animal welfare are considered important as animals continue to suffer from humans for their personal entertainment, food, and scientific advancements. It is important that all animals deserve to live in peace and have a good life.
How are animal rights exploited?
Animal rights are violated as they are seldom given a choice in how to live their lives. Instead, they are indiscriminately killed, captured or farmed for the benefit of humans.
Do animals need rights?
Absolutely, they do. All animals deserve to live free from exploitation and constant suffering, just like all of us humans.
