The Moral Compass: Navigating the Landscape of Animal Welfare and Rights
- Great Apes: Spain, New Zealand, and the UK have banned invasive research on great apes, recognizing their cognitive proximity to humans.
- Cetaceans (Dolphins/Whales): India declared dolphins "non-human persons" in 2013, banning dolphinariums.
- Habeas Corpus: The Nonhuman Rights Project has filed lawsuits on behalf of elephants (Happy, in the Bronx Zoo) and chimpanzees (Tommy, in a trailer park). While most have failed, the legal argument—that a sentient being can be held illegally—is now on the record.
Published:
October 26, 2023 | Reading Time: 4 minutes
Freedom from discomfort
(providing an appropriate environment and shelter).
- Ban gestation crates for pigs. This makes pork more expensive. When pork is expensive, people eat less pork. When people eat less pork, fewer pigs are bred into existence. Eventually, the industry shrinks.
Unfortunately, many animals are subjected to inhumane treatment and exploitation, including:
Freedom from pain, injury, or disease
(prevention and rapid treatment).
Part IV: The Middle Ground – "New Welfarism"