Spain is to become the first country to extend legal rights to apes
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From: Derek on 27 Jun 2008 14:47 Spain is to become the first country to extend legal rights to apes, wrongfooting animal rights activists who have long campaigned against bullfighting in the country. In what is thought to be the first time a national legislature has granted such rights to animals, the Spanish parliament�s environmental committee voted to approve resolutions committing the country to the Great Apes Project, designed by scientists and philosophers who say that humans� closest biological relatives also deserve rights. The resolution, adopted with crossparty support, calls on the Government to promote the Great Apes Project internationally and ensure the protection of apes from �abuse, torture and death�. �This is a historic moment in the struggle for animal rights,� Pedro Pozas, the Spanish director of the Great Apes Project, told The Times. �It will doubtless be remembered as a key moment in the defence of our evolutionary comrades.� http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4220884.ece
From: Rupert on 28 Jun 2008 18:08 On Jun 28, 2:47 am, Derek <usenet.em...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Spain is to become the first country to extend legal > rights to apes, wrongfooting animal rights activists > who have long campaigned against bullfighting in the > country. > > In what is thought to be the first time a national > legislature has granted such rights to animals, the > Spanish parliaments environmental committee voted > to approve resolutions committing the country to the > Great Apes Project, designed by scientists and > philosophers who say that humans closest biological > relatives also deserve rights. > > The resolution, adopted with crossparty support, calls > on the Government to promote the Great Apes Project > internationally and ensure the protection of apes from > abuse, torture and death. This is a historic moment in > the struggle for animal rights, Pedro Pozas, the Spanish > director of the Great Apes Project, told The Times. It > will doubtless be remembered as a key moment in the > defence of our evolutionary comrades.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4220884.ece Yes, I saw that. It's a very encouraging development. I think the Great Ape Project is a very promising strategy. Many chimpanzees, gorillas, and orang-utans will now be protected from abuse, which is excellent.
From: Rupert on 29 Jun 2008 08:21 On Jun 29, 6:06 pm, Derek <usenet.em...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > On Sat, 28 Jun 2008 15:08:32 -0700 (PDT), Rupert <rupertmccal...(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > >On Jun 28, 2:47 am, Derek <usenet.em...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > >> Spain is to become the first country to extend legal > >> rights to apes, wrongfooting animal rights activists > >> who have long campaigned against bullfighting in the > >> country. > > >> In what is thought to be the first time a national > >> legislature has granted such rights to animals, the > >> Spanish parliaments environmental committee voted > >> to approve resolutions committing the country to the > >> Great Apes Project, designed by scientists and > >> philosophers who say that humans closest biological > >> relatives also deserve rights. > > >> The resolution, adopted with crossparty support, calls > >> on the Government to promote the Great Apes Project > >> internationally and ensure the protection of apes from > >> abuse, torture and death. This is a historic moment in > >> the struggle for animal rights, Pedro Pozas, the Spanish > >> director of the Great Apes Project, told The Times. It > >> will doubtless be remembered as a key moment in the > >> defence of our evolutionary comrades. > >>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4220884.ece > > >Yes, I saw that. > > Yes, but did you see it coming? I didn't. > I was aware a few months back that there was some chance it might happen, and I signed a petition to the Spanish Parliament encouraging them to do it. I guess I wasn't all that sure it would happen, and certainly a couple of years ago I would have had no idea we would get a breakthrough like this so quickly. > >It's a very encouraging development. I think the > >Great Ape Project is a very promising strategy. > > The species barrier has been bust wide open. The > speciesist who attempts to deny rights to animals on > the basis of petty prejudice and discrimination can > no longer argue that humans, by dint of being human, > are the only animal on this earth legally entitled to hold > basic rights against other humans. He has failed to make > the case that while membership to group x morally and > legally entitles members to hold rights against other > members of that group, membership to another group > automatically excludes them as rights holders against > those members in group x. > Yes, a break in the species barrier is very significant progress. > >Many chimpanzees, gorillas, and orang-utans will now be protected from > >abuse, which is excellent. > > And, while apes hold legal rights against humans, those > against the proposition of extending them further must > show the morally relevant difference between them and > the apes that now hold them. > > This is huge! It's excellent news, yes.
From: Dutch on 29 Jun 2008 15:31 Derek wrote: > And, while apes hold legal rights against humans, those > against the proposition of extending them further must > show the morally relevant difference between them and > the apes that now hold them. Since the new law is presumably based on the strong similarity between great apes and humans, the onus remains on animal rights activists to show relevant similarities between those animals and humans if the law is to be extended further. It's also questionable if this law actually does what it purports to do, since apes can still be legally held in zoos.
From: Rupert on 29 Jun 2008 15:54
On Jun 30, 3:31 am, Dutch <n...(a)email.com> wrote: > Derek wrote: > > And, while apes hold legal rights against humans, those > > against the proposition of extending them further must > > show the morally relevant difference between them and > > the apes that now hold them. > > Since the new law is presumably based on the strong similarity between > great apes and humans, the onus remains on animal rights activists to > show relevant similarities between those animals and humans if the law > is to be extended further. It's also questionable if this law actually > does what it purports to do, since apes can still be legally held in zoos. This is precisely the objection that Joan Dunayer makes to the Great Ape Project. Since the argument is made on the basis of similarities with humans rather than sentience, she claims it will ultimately be counter-productive because it will impede granting rights to those sentient beings who are extremely dissimilar to humans. She says that campaigning for recognition of the rights of nonhuman great apes should be done on the basis of sentience alone. On the other hand, if your philosophical stance is that the criteria for rights should be similarity with humans, then of course what you say is perfectly fair comment, and not all of the activists who support the Great Ape Project have an ultimate goal of extending rights to all sentient beings. (And, yes, I myself acknowledge that this goal raises some problematic questions). I wasn't aware of that point, that great apes can still be legally held in zoos. I seem to remember that one of the rights was the right to liberty. The other rights were life, protection from torture, and protection from extinction. I'll have to look into the matter. If they at least now have a legal right to life and protection from torture then that is certainly a lot better than nothing. |