Nawabbir Boparai
459185
Mr. Price
CLU3MO
December 01, 2014
The need to Amend Animal laws in Canada
In society we are given rights and they are protected by the universal declaration of human rights, the constitution. Similarly animals are also given rights which are proposed to preserve and protect them. Today, society benefits from rights given to them and those rights help society to live their live freely and peacefully. In the case of animals the same benefits, peace, and freedom cannot be seen and isn’t provided to them by the rights and laws set by the government meant to preserve and protect them. There is a need to amend animal laws in Canada to prevent in justice and abuse against the animals. Rights are legal, social, or ethical
…show more content…
Recent amendments and new legislation laws includes the following key changes such as Expands the definition of distress and Increase to maximum penalties. Pertinent sections 445-447 in the Criminal Code of Canada are directly related to animal cruelty in which they state wilfully causes or, being the owner, wilfully permit to be caused unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to an animal or a bird and in any manner encourage, aids or assists at the fighting or baiting of animals or birds (445.1 (1)). Everyone who commits an offence under subsection (1) is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than five years; or an offence punishable on summary conviction and liable to a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term of not more than eighteen months or to both. The criminal code does protect the animals from unnecessary pain or pain caused by injury but fails to protect them from other abuses. Animal abuses can be ranged from animal experimentations and testing’s, cosmetic testing’s, live animal shootings, to abuses of farm animals, these abuses are widespread and are considerably immoral and inhumane. The criminal code clearly doesn’t protect the animals from such …show more content…
Abuse like Animal experimentation is unnecessary and that animal research causes more suffering for the animals or no benefit. The development and use of alternatives, on the other hand, has played and will continue to play a major role in the reduction of animal usage. On the second proposition, it is difficult to weigh the benefits of animal research against the suffering inflicted. Bill C-17 is tabled till today, Animal Alliance worked to have the federal animal cruelty laws amended. Federal government has tried to adopt protective animal cruelty laws and worked with other animal protection organizations to pressure the government. Sections 445 to 447 of the Criminal Code of Canada remain outdated and insufficient to protect animals subjected to abuse and
Animal rights can defined as the idea that some, or all non-human animals are entitled to the possession of their own lives and that their most basic interests should be afforded the same consideration as similar interests of human beings. Animal rights can help protect the animals who experience research and testing that could be fatal towards them. The idea of animal rights protects too the use of dogs for fighting and baiting. Finally, animal rights affects the farms across america, limiting what animals can be slaughtered. The bottom line is, there is too much being done to these animals that most do not know about.
After reading “Do Animals Have Rights?” by Carl Cohen, the central argument of the article is that rights entail obligations. Cohen examines the syllogism that all trees are plants but does not follow the same that all plants are trees. Cohen explains the syllogism through the example of hosts in a restaurant. They have obligation to be cordial to their guests, but the guest has not the right to demand cordiality. Cohen explains using animals, for example his dog has no right to daily exercise and veterinary care, but he does have the obligation to provide those things for her. Cohen states that animals cannot be the bearers of rights because the concept of rights is essentially human; it is rooted in, and has force within, a human moral world. Humans must deal with rats-all too frequently in some parts of the world-and must be moral in their dealing with them; but a rat can no more be said to have rights than a table can be said to have ambition.
Animal welfare is a term that came into use after the federal Animal Welfare Act passed in 1966. The term is used by research compliance inspectors employed by the government, by those who work in shelters, and by veterinarians and scientists employed by companies, hospitals, and universities that perform animal research, all of whom are charged with ensuring that detailed regulations are followed when using animals in research. People who promote animal welfare believe in the controlled use of animals in research under the strict guidelines of the Animal Welfare Act and its numerous amendments. Proactive animal welfare advocates also adopt the same high standards for the use of rats, mice, and birds in research, which are not presently included in the Animal Welfare Act as currently amended.
The article mainly focuses on this issue, not mentioning the aspects of animal rights. The authors argue their points well but can have counter-arguments against some
Lastly, there is refinement where researchers need to filter their animal use for their experiments. Another point of agreement is the Animal Welfare Act. The Animal Welfare Act puts restrictions on experimenting, transporting, and researching on animals. “The intent of congress in passing this act... ... middle of paper ... ...
PETA states that, since before the 1920’s there has been animal experimentation. Not until President Lyndon Johnson signed the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act (LAWA) in 1966, animals in the United States had no protection in laboratories, circuses, and zoos over breeding, transportation, housing, feeding, and veterinary care. The LAWA is now called the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). (Williams, and DeMello)
“There can be many reason for animal cruelty, like any other form of violence, is often committed by a person who feels powerless, unnoticed, or under control of others. Some who are cruel to animals copy acts what they have seen or that have been done to them, others see harming an animal as a safe way to get revenge against--or threaten-- someone who cares about that animal”. (“Animal… Statistics”) Concerns towards abusing animals have gone up in the past. Although there are not many cases on animal abuse, many have occurred. Abusers are charged with Criminal Animal Abuse and then sentenced to life in prison. Some animals that are physically abused are sometimes rescued by Animal Control, and are taken it to an animal shelter. However, many shelters have not had the space to keep the animals so the workers would have to put them down (Carol Roach). Researchers have shown that the main animals getting abused are dogs, chickens, horses, and livestock (“Animal...
In the 1970s the question of animal rights became a major social issue that more people started to take notice and action in. This discovery of the cruelty these animals go through, lead animal cruelty to become a serious issue in our world today. To understand how animals could be treated so unjustly one would need to know that many believed that animals could not feel pain. However, animals can feel pain just like humans can and using them for experimentation causes them extreme pain. “Each year, more than 100 million animals are killed in the U.S. laboratories for biology lessons, medical training, curiosity-driven experimentation, and chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics” (Peta 1). With countries having inadequate regulations to protect animal’s rights the chances of that number dropping are slim to none.
Each year, 10 billion animals, not including fish, are raised and killed each year for food, but did you know that an overwhelming 99% of them are raised and killed on factory farms? A factory farm is a place where animals are packed into spaces so tight that they can hardly move. They are forced into cages so small that the animals can’t even turn around. Many of these animals have no access to the outdoors and they spend most of their lives in cages or pens. This type of treatment can cause severe and mental distress. Many would agree that this type of treatment is animal cruelty, but why are there so few laws to protect these animals? Every year, animals raised for meat, dairy and egg industries are among the most abused in the United States. Many of the abusive tactics used on farm animals would be illegal to do to dogs or cats. These farm animals are inhumanly slaughtered, tortured and killed. In some cases before these animals get to the slaughter house they suffer brutally cruel treatment that has been legal for the most part. One of these practices is of shoving a pipe down the throat of a duck or goose to force feed the animal several times a day. One example of the abuse that goes on inside these factory farms is a practice called 'debeaking'. It is a process that involves cutting or burning through bone, cartilage and soft tissue to remove the upper beak of chickens, turkeys, and ducks. These animals are not even given anesthetics. These farm animals are also deprived of exercise so that all their bodies’ energy goes toward producing flesh, eggs, or milk for human consumption, fed drugs to fatten them and keep them alive in conditions that w...
Animals will have rights when they have the means to enforce them. They don't have the ability to reason as humans do. The human race has such a vast understanding of the necessities for all of the different species of animals to exist. Humans are far superior to any other animal because they are so advanced in technology. One advantage of advanced technology is, humans can store information as reference material. With all of this reference material humans can look back at previous mistakes so they don't do the same thing again. With this knowledge, humans can see and predict outcomes before a choice is made. Humans have the knowledge to enforce their rights, something no other animal has.
“Harvard and twenty five other U.S. law schools have introduced law courses on animal rights,...Germany recently became the first nation to guarantee animal rights in its constitution.” Many Universities and a country are recognizing this and I believe it’s time we do as well. The first law, “The right of animals to be free from exploitation, cruelty, neglect, and abuse.”, would give animals full respect as to how they are being treated. Far too many animals are being neglected and abused and we can definitely change that. The second law, “The right of laboratory animals not to be used in cruel or unnecessary experiments.”, would defend the helpless experiment animals of being mistreated during research. We are in the twenty-first century and should find a way of testing items on living animals. The third law, “The right of companion animals to a healthy diet, protective shelter and adequate medical care.”, is not only for the animal health, but for us too. We eat the chickens that are injected with steroids to be twice as big as they naturally are. This law would help keep animals healthy as well as ourselves. The fourth law, “The right of wildlife to a natural habitat, ecologically sufficient to a normal existence and self-sustaining population.”, would secure the homes of many animals in the wild. Helpless baby chipmunks won’t need to fear a human being for tearing its home apart. They wouldn’t be seen as an award when they are seen with a hunter's eye and would just be living their daily and normal life. The fifth law, “The right of farmed animals to an environment that satisfies their basic physical and psychological needs.”, can be the supportive law of farm animals being mistreated in farms. Many farmers have multiple animals to make a profit, but fail to realize that every single one of those animals have feelings and wonder why
To conclude this paper then, after reviewing the reasons for being opposed to assigning rights to non-human animals I am still faithfully for the idea. There is no justification for the barbaric and insensitive ways to which we have been treating the non-human animals with over the decades. As I stated before, they are living creatures just as we are, they have families, emotions and struggles of their own without the ones we inflict on them. So then where does this leave us? Of course it is a complicated mater, but none the less non-human animals should be protected with rights against them being used as machines, for food, for their skins, their wool, and all cases in which they are being abused.
Animals are so often forgotten when it comes to the many different levels of basic rights. No, they can’t talk, or get a job, nor can they contribute to society the way humans can. Yet they hold a special place in their owners’ hearts, they can without a doubt feel, show their different emotions, and they can most definitely love. In recent years there has been a massive increase in animal rights awareness, leading to a better understanding and knowledge in the subject of the humane treatment of animals. Where do humans draw the line between the concern of equality, and simple survival?
Animals are used in research to develop new medicines and for scientists to test the safety of the medicines. This animal testing is called vivisection. Research is being carried out at universities, medical schools and even in primary and elementary schools as well as in commercial facilities which provide animal experiments to industry. (UK Parliament) In addition, animals are also used in cosmetic testing, toxicology tests, “defense research” and “xenotransplantation”. All around the world, a huge amount of animals are sentenced to life in a laboratory cage and they are obliged to feel loneliness and pain. In addition scientists causing pain, most drugs that pas successfully in animals fail in humans. It is qualified as a bad science. Above all, animals have rights not to be harmed even though the Animal Welfare Act does not provide them even with minimal protection. The law does not find it necessary to use current alternatives to animals, even if they are obtainable. Animal testing should be banned due to animal rights, ethical issues, alternative ways and the unreliability of test results in humans.
Research and testing have become more prominent and a strong concern to the public on the treatment of animals. Many activists today are trying to change the view people see toward the animal they have as a companion. Ethical issues are the many concerns about animals and the question always asked is,”who has the right to control the animal?”. For animal welfare and the causes of animal abuse, new research has been created. Since animal abuse is fairly a new subject, new research is constantly being brought up.