One often hears about human rights especially today after the record setting Women’s March but animals deserve rights to for they also have feelings and interests. According to Animal Ethics, an interest is normally defined as “what is beneficial to someonepromotes what is good for anyone whose life can go well or ill” (2017). In other words, animals do have interests for they perform in ways that ensure their survival such as gathering food or hibernating in the winter. In this sense they are not so different from humans thus instead of treating them like objects, they should be given the same respect humans are expected to give each other for “animals have the right to equal consideration of their interests” (PETA 2017). This is particularly important to keep in mind when dealing with abuse cases for an animal never deserves to be treated so horribly.
Critics of animal rights, however, argue that treating them humanely is enough but there are instances where animals are being mistreated humanely under the law (Lin 2016). This means there are people out there who are twisting the law to suit their means which is to beat an animal who cannot speak for themselves. Thus it is extremely important for animals to be given more rights so that they are protected from abusive owners and are provided with someone who can speak out for them. Put more simply, animals may not be able to talk to humans in their language but that does not mean they do not think nor feel because they do. They are not dumb and should be treated as living beings that deserve the same respects as humans.
Work Cited
"Animal Interests." Animal Ethics. Animal Ethics, 2017. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.
Lin, Doris. "What Rights Should Animals Have, and Why?" About.com News & Issues. About, Inc., 08 Aug. 2016. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.
"What Rights Should Animals Have?" PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 2017. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.
