Animal Rights 5
"But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh, we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that proportion of life and time that they had been born to enjoy."(Plutarch). Each year, over five billion animals are consumed by Americans, but most people sit and eat their hamburgers without even thinking where they come from. Fact is, that most people don't want to know the truth about animal consumption because they are afraid to realize that their barbaric practice of meat eating might be morally wrong, and nobody likes to be wrong. To protect the people from being wrong, the truth is hidden from them, by the meat industry, dairy industry, and all other corporations that profit from the torment and agony of others. The truth is, that animals are sentient beings, with the ability to experience pain, suffering, and pleasure; and clearly, therefore, must not be tortured, abused, or murdered for human benefit. The opposition of the Animal Rights Movement believes that animals are inferior to man and therefore can justifiably be used for human pleasure/benefit. For example, Edwin Locke, talking about animal rights activists, says "The animal 'rights' terrorists are like the unabomber and Oklahoma city bombers. They are
Mankind will continue to be haunted until each persons humanity awakens to the fact it is wrong to cause animals harm for our own selfish benefits. We must realize that the way we treat animals is morally wrong and we must stop our parsimonious ways of animal injustice before it is too late to make a change. The animals are not ours to abuse or dominate, and they have the right to be treated with compassion and respect. Animal liberation can only be achieved through a radical transformation of human consciousness and overthrow of the existing power structure; but until this happens, the animals will not be emancipated. When thinking to ourselves about animals, we must remember the simple words of Jeremy Bentham: "The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but rather, Can they suffer?" Animals have emotions similar to humans in that they have the ability to experience feelings, preferences, and consciousness. For example, "All lives have independent value regardless of their relationships and effects on anyone else."(Regan). This is true because all life has value, even if it is a boring and dim life, it still has worth, and nobody has the right to take that away. For humans to think they have the right to take innocent lives shows their utter disregard and lack of respect for all forms of life. In addition "Any being with inherent value is therefore valuable and cannot be replaced."(Regan). The basic moral right possessed by all subjects of inherent value is the right to respectful treatment. By murdering animals for our benefit, we are not showing them respect, and therefore, we are denying animals their basic moral rights. All beings who possess inherent value have it equally, and they all must be t
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Approximate Word count = 1174
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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