The Animal Rights Movement By Amanda McFadden and Sarah Fasano

Early History of Movement  Traces back to late 18 th century, out of organized efforts to abolish animal cruelty in England.  1824: First Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) was formed in England

Modern Animal Rights  Welfarists: accept most current uses of animals; seek to minimize their suffering.  Pragmatists: more radical; aim to reduce animal use through protest  Fundamentalists: Most extreme; believe people should never use animals for their own interest, regardless of benefits

Factory Farming  Many tactics used in factory farming are considered cruel and unnecessary  Cramped, dirty pens  Painful methods of slaughter  Offspring are separated from mothers at very young age

Animal Testing  Animals are experimented on against their will in order to benefit humans  Animals are often kept in small cages in laboratories  Where is the line drawn? Curing diseases? Dissections for classes? Testing cosmetics?

Entertainment and Sports  Animals are used as entertainment for humans  Examples include rodeos, circuses, horse races, seal clubbing, and so on  Many of these animals face abuse and neglect

Fashion  Thousands of animals are slaughtered daily for humans’ fashion  Examples include wool, leather, animal furs, crocodile skin, and so on  Many of these animals are raised solely for this purpose

Environmental  Factory farming is one of the leading causes of pollution  It causes more CO2 pollution on planet earth than all of the buses, trains, vans, and airplanes in the world combined cause.