Elsewhere in the world (like Europe, that din of iniquity), it appears that people are starting to grant Chimps “Human Rights”:
Slashdot | Should Chimps Have Human Rights?
“A Brazilian court has already issued a writ of habeas corpus in the name of a chimp. And now an Austrian court may well decide that a chimpanzee is a ‘person’ with what up until now have been called human rights.”
Next thing you know, they’re going to let “the gays” vote!
In all seriousness, though. This has some interesting implications. My personal view is that all living things have rights, but of course if that’s true, does this eventually mean we will have to pay reparations to the buffalo? We are recognized as having the rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” and we rebel against any attempt to manage our lives. But providing any of those things to folks without opposable thumbs necessarily means managing wildlife.
The thing is, at the risk of sounding like a Conservative, this is one of those “slippery slope,” kind of deals. Once you acknowledge the rights of primates as a singular thing, you’ll not long after need to recognize the rights of all living things. That’s good news for crabgrass, but think of the end game!
What would this do, for example, to the definition of murder? Are we going to have crocodiles serving time on death row? Well, finally the Conservatives could get the turnover rate they’re looking for. . . .
OK, it’s obvious I need a vacation. . . .
Technorati Tags: Rights, Nature, Chimpanzees
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