When this is asked of an animal advocate, this question
is an assumption that it is more important to help humans than to help
nonhumans.
Many of the consequences of carrying out the animal
rights agenda are highly beneficial to humans. For example, stopping the
production and consumption of animal products would result in a
significant improvement of the general health of the human population,
and destruction of the environment would be greatly reduced.
Fostering compassion for animals is likely to pay
dividends in terms of a general increase of compassion in human affairs.
Tom Regan puts it this way:
"...the animal rights movement is a part of, not
antagonistic to, the human rights movement. The theory that rationally
grounds the rights of animals also grounds the rights of humans. Thus
those involved in the animal rights movement are partners in the
struggle to secure respect for human rights -- the rights of women, for
example, or minorities, or workers. The animal rights movement is cut
from the same moral cloth as these."
Finally, the behavior asked for by the animal rights
agenda involves little expenditure of energy. We are asking people to
NOT do things: don't eat meat, don't exploit animals for entertainment,
don't wear furs. These negative actions don't interfere with our ability
to care for humans. In some cases, they may actually make more time
available for doing so (e.g., time spent hunting or visiting zoos and
circuses).
Living cruelty-free is not a full-time job; rather, it's
a way of life. When you shop, check ingredients and consider if the
product is tested on animals. These things only consume a few minutes of
the day. There is ample time left for helping both humans and nonhumans.
Go on to Ohio Animal Rights Conference 2000
Return to 30 July 2000 Issue
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