Animal Rights

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Animal Rights
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What is a right?

• Something that the law allows you to have/do
• An entitlement that is protected by the law
• A privilege / benefit granted to everyone

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Can animals have the same rights as humans?

• Some people say yes and some say no

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Can animals have the same rights as humans?

• No because
• They can not exercise their rights eg. right to
  free speech, right to religion, freedom from
  arrest. Can not defend their rights
• Animals unlike humans are not self conscious.
  They do not see themselves as having a past and
  future
• Animals do not choose how to live - they have to
  adapt themselves to the environment
• For some its the belief that man was created by
  God as his most important creation so animals are
  of less importance
• God appointed man as his steward deputy on
  earth and told to rule over the animals. Some
  people believe this means man can use animals in
  any way he chooses.

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Can animals have the same rights as humans?

• Yes because
• They feel pain and suffer
• They show pleasure and experience happiness
• People are given rights even if they are not
  capable of exercising them eg because of ill
  health
• We give rights to children even if they are not
  self conscious or autonomous and even though they
  can not defend them.
• For some people its simply that, as living beings
  that share our planet, they deserve the same.

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Do animals deserve rights?

• Some would say that, even if they can not be
  given the same rights as humans, animals deserve
  -
• To be respected as living beings
• Have the right not to be abused and exploited (
  taken advantage of )
• They should be protected and not harmed
  unnecessarily

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How can man use animals?

• For food?
• For medical research?
• For sport?
• For friendship?
• For transport?
• For entertainment?
• To help the disabled?
• For work?

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Should all animals be treated the same?

• Is it all right to kill a rat because its a
  pest, but not right to kill a fox by hunting it?
• Is it right to experiment on a mouse but not a
  dog or a chimpanzee
• Is it right to breed pigs for food but not breed
  animals for experiments?

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Animal Rights Coursework

• This is a piece of extended writing.
• Marks will be awarded for
• 5 for presentation
• 10 for effort
• 15 for content
• Total mark 30

• If possible your work should be typed on the
  computer
• Suitable illustrations to highlight points made
  in your writing

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Animal Rights Coursework

• What are we assessing?
• Your ability to research animal rights issues
• Your ability to select relevant material so you
  can describe and explain issues
• Your ability to give balanced arguments for and
  against an issue

• Your ability to describe what different
  religions say about the treatment of animals and
  explain why they say it
• Your ability to evaluate judge the worth or
  value of arguments - to reach a personal
  conclusion

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Animal Rights Coursework

• You will need -
• A title page
• An introduction on the issue of animal rights and
  introducing your two chosen issues
• A section for each issue chosen in which you
  must
• Describe and explain what the issue is
• Give arguments that support this
• Give arguments against it
• Explain the attitude to this issue of at least
  one religion

• A conclusion - to be done in test conditions in
  class - reviewing your issues in relation to the
  concept of animals having rights and stating your
  personal opinion with reasons
• Also a contents page
• Bibliography