Fw: [FFA] Animal Welfare vs. Animal Libertation

[Guest guest]

-

Pete

Thursday, January 13, 2005 10:48 AM

[FFA] Animal Welfare vs. Animal Libertation

 

 

 

 

What's the difference between the animal welfare movement and the animal rights

movement?

 

The animal welfare movement began in the mid-19th century to address the cruelty

inflicted on horses in urban areas of the UK and the US. It's goal was quite

limited: to improve the treatment of animals who were being utilized by humans

without changing the basic nature of the human-animal relationship. That

relationship was and still is largely based on ownership and exploitation. The

animal welfarists had no problem with that basic relationship, but only with the

worst of the cruelties, like whipping, inflicted on animals being exploited for

the benefit of humans. Animal shelters grew out of the animal welfare movement

and, given the movement's limited objectives, it is not surprising that shelters

routinely engaged, as some still do, in simply killing animals that served no

use to humans.

 

The animal rights movement started in 1975 with the publication of philosopher

Peter Singer's groundbreaking book " Animal Liberation. " Unlike the animal

welfare movement, the animal rights movement recognized that there is no way

that humans can own and exploit animals without cruelty as the very acts of

ownership and exploitation invariably lead to horrific abuses and deny animals

the natural lives that their species were intended to lead. Thus, the animal

rights movement seeks nothing less than the complete transformation of our

relationship with other species from one based on ownership and exploitation to

one based on a guardianship model in which all human relationships with animals

must be based on what is in the best interest of the animals, not humans. The

guardianship model for animals is itself based on the guardianship model used

for children and it recognized that animals, like children, cannot protect

themselves from many harms and need special protections. Thus, the animal

rights movement seeks to create legal protections for animals, not as an end to

themselves, which is the goal of animal welfare, but as stepping stones on the

way to the total liberation of animals from the ancient model based on ownership

and exploitation.

 

These days, the attitudes and goals of the animal rights movement have had a big

influence on the animal welfare movement, but there are still many folks who

cling to the old and antiquated idea that simply improving the lives of

exploited and abused animals, without ending the exploitation, is progress

enough. Thus, animal welfarists continue to exploit animals for their own

benefit while pretending that they really care about the welfare of the animals

whom they exploit.

 

Fortunately, the animal rights movement's influence in the animal welfare

community seems to be growing every year with more and more animal welfare

organizations, like the Humane Society of the U.S., adopting animal liberation

goals including the most important to our transformation to a more humane human

species: vegetarianism. Thanks to animal rights groups like PETA and Farm

Sanctuary, we can look forward to the day when the animal welfare movement will

be relegated to the dust bin of history, where it belongs, to be replaced by

true animal liberation.

 

-

Paris Harvey

FreedomforAnimals

Wednesday, January 12, 2005 8:18 PM

Re: [FFA] Please Call Kings & Queens

 

 

That's a new term for me... " Animal Welfarist " somebody define, please... I

can't wait to hear this one!.