Animals Should Also Have Rights

All of us love meat. It has been one of our primary food since the dawn of men. Through the years, we started to domesticate the animals and embraced them as pets. The lingering debate is how do differentiate animals that are meant to be pets from those that are meant to be food? The simple answer is cultural perception. In China for example, they eat dogs because they have always eaten dogs ever since their ancestors learned how to hunt.

There was never really a guideline on which animals are for petting and which are for eating. In fact, when humans started hunting, they never knew if the meat of the animals they killed are good to eat, they just tried and that’s how they were able to determine which ones are best for eating. But come to think of it, did we ever consider the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?People often say animals have rights to live freely with no harm, but no one thought of the consequences of their action.

They never once thought of asking the question “Do they feel suffering?". The answer to that question is "yes they do suffer" especially to all the actions that we do. Just like humans, they feel pain, loneliness, fear, frustration, pleasure, and love. We are all obligated to take care of these creatures, because according to the bible, God has put us in charge of every living creature on earth, giving humans dominion over them. But according to Jainism, all of God’s creations who has life are equal; therefore, we are all equal Every creature has a right to live freely from pain and suffering. But this would only be applicable to those who do believe that there is a God. What about the atheists? It’s a bit complicated with them. Some atheists say that the animals can’t have rights because they don’t have that sense of responsibility, while some say it all depends on how much you humans care for that animal.

For me personally, I would go for the latter. I believe they should be given their rights because I love animals. But do they feel love? Everyone would agree that the answer is a big yes. How many times did we see a mother (animal) freak out when they lost their little ones? This angle further justifies the fact that they suffer, and thus have the right to be protected from that suffering. Every one of us has a right to live freely. People don't understand this concept therefore their actions are leading to the extinction of some species of animals, especially those who kill animals for food. Although we need protein this doesn't mean that we can just go on a killing spree to get the protein that we need.

The nutrients that some of the animals give is important to us humans, therefore we kill them, but if we do need to kill them it must be regulated, within the constraints of the law and we must make sure that that species will reproduce to avoid extinction. It all boils down to moral obligation. If one believes that eating a pig is not harmful, then there’s no wrong in doing it. If one believes that dogs are the best companion that a man could ever have, then harming them is a violation of their rights. But in the neutral perspective that something that has life should be protected from any harm, then there’s no question that there should be a ground rule for animal rights, plant rights, and human rights.

Reference:

1. http://www. abolitionistapproach. com/new-atheism-and-animal-ethics-some-reflections/
2. https://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Animal_slaughter,
3. https://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Pet,
4. http://advocacy. britannica. com/blog/advocacy/2006/12/animal-rights/,
5. www. abolitionistapproach. com/new-atheism-and-animal-ethics-some-reflections/
6. https://www. quora. com/What-is-the-difference-between-animals-for-food-and-animals-as-pets-Is-it-logical-correct-for-people-to-protest-against-the-Chinese-for-eating-dogs
7. http://www. gospelway. com/topics/man/animals-inferiority. php
8. http://www. think-differently-about-sheep. com/Why_Animals-Rights_Matter_Jainism_Ahimsa_and_Animal_Rights. htm
9. https://www. outsideonline. com/1924606/do-animals-feel-love