A voice for the animals
(The following is the latest in an ongoing series of letters written by Animas High School students as part of their “Morality and Politics of Justice” class.)
To the editor,
Alice Walker, author and political activist, once said, “The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.”

 

Animal rights is an important issue involving both people and animals. It is the philosophy of allowing nonhuman animals to have the most basic rights that all sentient beings deserve. This includes the freedom to live a natural life liberated from human exploitation, unnecessary pain and suffering, and premature death. It also includes the idea that these nonhuman animals are entitled to possession of their own lives. In order to ensure equality for all animals, Congress should pass laws that protect animals.

 

Conservatives and liberals do not usually lean one way or another on the issue of animal rights. Most of the time, it just depends on the person. However, at the extremes, liberals are considered more welcoming to animal rights groups. How far each of these groups go depends on the organization. Some are strictly vegan, and some just want places that deal with animals to give them more space and better treatment. On the extreme conservative side, the majority either believes that animals do not deserve rights, or do not take a stance on the issue. But, for the most part, a person’s stance on animal rights depends on the person, not on their political party.

 

Regardless of your political affiliation, it is time humans reevaluate the relationship between humans and animals. Thomas Paine, a political activist during the Revolutionary War, wrote in his famous document, Common Sense, that, “a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason.” Bearing in mind animal rights, this quote applies to the plight of animals that have been pushed aside in the minds of the majority of the people. Most of the time, people do not give animals a second thought. This is because animals have been undermined for too long. Soon, animals must prevail, and gain the rights they deserve.

 

The position of Tom Regan, an American philosopher, is that human life as well as animal life has an inherent moral value. He mentions that just as one human life is no less valuable than any other, so is animal life. It would be challenging to judge one human life to be less valuable than another, as it would also be challenging to judge that animal life is less valuable than human life. They deserve full moral status just like the less fortunate humans as he states, “all who have inherent value have it equally, whether they be human animals or not” (Hozien). Furthermore, he states that the right view does not tolerate any form of discrimination on humans or animals.

 

Let’s heed the wisdom and compassion of Tom Regan and end maltreatment of animals once and for all.
– Nicole Dinovo, Animas High School

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