Animal Rights Do Animals Deserve to be given the same respect and dignity that we Afford the members of our own species?

What does it mean for an animal to have rights? The philosophy of animal rights holds that non-human species deserve the same rights and respect from humans that are guaranteed to the human species broadly under the rule of law. Animal rights activists oppose the ownership of animals and the subjugation of them as food, clothing, entertainment, and research subjects.

Utilitarian Approach to Animal Rights The consequences associated with animal cruelty should be the main driver behind effort to treat all species as equals. In other words, the pain that animals feel entitles them to the same consideration humans receive regardless of our conception of "rights".

Rights Based Approach to Animal Rights An animal's cognitive ability entitles it to the same consideration and rights that human beings receive from each other.

Factory Farming Factory Farming is the process of raising livestock and other farm animals in close quarters to maximize efficiency. Animals kept in these conditions often experience injury, disease, and premature death.

Animal Welfare Act of 1966 The Animal Welfare Act was signed into law in 1966. It is the only Federal law in the United States that regulates the treatment of animals in research, exhibition, transport, and by dealers. The act fails to address the care and treatment of farm animals used for food or small animals used for testing such as rats and mice.

Recent Animal Rights Controversies Dogfighting: NFL superstar QB Michael Vick was convicted of animal cruelty and sentenced to 23 months in prison in 2007 Conklin Dairy Farms – Employees at Conklin Dairy farms in Plain city Ohio are found to have stabbed and punched cows at their facilities in 2010