Introduction

In conversations regarding human rights, the words “fundamental” and “universal” are frequently used to mean the application of rights for all around the world. But does the treatment of animals belong in conversations of human rights? Animal and human rights are largely considered separate, but they rest on similar moral foundations: the right for beings to be treated not as property, but with dignity, humanity, and without suffering. 

While there are differences,  animals would never be expected to vote, though they have the outward capacity to do so. As it stands, not every right is taken to be translated literally between the two fields. Many human and animal rights concerns stem from systemic challenges that some argue mirror and stem from each other. 

I believe that integrating animal rights into human rights is a step towards recognizing systems of oppression presented unto animals that mirror that of human suffering. Through animal rights advocacy and change, we can truly have universal dignity for all. 

Economic and Environmental Concerns

Beyond the ethical and moral implications of animal and human rights, there is growing concern over the economic and public health concerns related to the consequences of factory farming. Some may take this to mean that the treatment of non-human animals in humane ways may be best for humans. 

Economically, factory farming has led to rural economic decline with the consolidation of agriculture into a few corporate-owned entities. This has reduced consumer food costs, but it has suppressed farm income, reduced local availability of food, and created high environmental risks. Along with this, the economic pressure created by inhumane farming practices has led to predominantly low-income farming communities struggling and being forced to rely on the exploitation of workers. The environmental implications of animal rights violations are profound, with factory farming causing severe environmental damage at almost 15% of greenhouse gas emissions coming from the farms. The meat industry alone makes up almost 20% of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and high water consumption rates in the United States. 99% of animals killed and cooked in the United States are raised in inhumane conditions that directly contribute to these environmental concerns, including organic and pasture-raised animals. 

Language and Education

The foundational narrative for animal cruelty, slaughter, and torture is that they are less than us. That animals are so different than we are that they cannot understand the severity of what we do to them. We now know that animals have similar core emotions, such as fear when they're trapped unmoving in a metal crate for their entire lives without enough room to move a leg, or sadness when they are centimeters from other animals, but unable to touch another animal for the rest of their lives. 

We know that animals can feel joy too. We assume the animals we see in public are joyful;we've anthropomorphized the animals we torture into assuming they're happy because we want them to be. We want the horses we whip down Central Park to be happy in our photos. We want the animals in the zoo to be happy when we stick them in concrete holes to be shouted at until they get too sick to be called happy. In a similar way, many people feel strongly about human rights violations, but willfully profit off of said violations. One can be strongly against child labor, and a majority of their clothes can be manufactured by children. There is a politics behind which human rights violations gain media attention and which ones are not given coverage similar to that which dictates which animals deserve to die and which don't. 

Collective Pain and Individual Action

It would be wrong to say that engaging in animal cruelty and death makes one a bad person when what we have is a bad system. We have a system that allows for the death of nine billion animals each year and the direct human gain from those deaths. We have a system currently harming millions around the world, and there is no single actor causing it all. Large-scale systemic oppression has brought mass harm and pain in both animal and human rights violations, but there are individual actors who either aid or end suffering through their individual actions. 

Individual actors can bring change in human and animal rights. The power of the individual should not be lost in conversation about systemic oppression. A system operates through us and if we want to change our systems, we must hold ourselves responsible for education, advocating, and advancing the change we want to see in the world. 

There are many ways to create change for animals and humans in the world. One way to create change for animal rights is to go vegetarian. Even one vegetarian meal a day, or a week, is better than nothing. I do not believe in perfect activism, but that the pursuit and act of activism is what we should strive for. 

Beyond going vegetarian or vegan, buying organic is a good start, but still difficult in that only 1% of “organic” labels are cruelty free. There are hundreds of small acts to be taken by an individual to contribute positively to reducing animal cruelty and helping the environment. Adopting pets and fostering them is a humane alternative to designer breeder pets. Switching to a plant based milk in drinks is better for the environment and the animals that produce milk. Raising one’s own chickens, if they’re able, is a fantastic way to sustainably, organically, and without cruelty have fresh eggs for meals. 

Conclusion

I cannot love something and kill or eat it, nor can I pass opportunities to create change for the things I love. Just because animals are different from me, they are sentient beings who do not deserve to die at my hands. Just because people are different from me does not mean they deserve to have their rights violated. I would not want my dog or cat trapped in a dark box for its short life, so I will not stand by as other animals are subjected to unimaginable cruelty. 

Many of the systems that allow for the casual death of millions of animals, praised by schoolchildren and adults across America as being cute and loved, are the same systems that allow for the silent suffering of millions around the world. By recognizing structures that harm animals as also harmful to humans, we can create a truly universal relationship of dignity and respect for all. 

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are the author’s only and do not reflect an official position of the University of Minnesota, the Human Rights Program, or the College of Liberal Arts. As an institution of higher education that values and promotes free speech, civil discourse, and human rights we welcome a variety of perspectives and opinions from our student contributors that are consistent with these values.