Concept of Animal Rights
Many people argue that animals have rights whereas others argue that they do not have rights; the concept of animal rights is a modern western consideration. According to the concept given by Kantian, it is assumed that animals have various rights in order to define the relationship between animals and human beings. The objective of animal rights is to protect the nonhuman animals from suffering. As per Fennell (2012), the animal rights implied that animals have similar interest as human beings, and they cannot be treated unfairly by humans. The concept of animal rights is gaining popularity due to moral and ethical considerations. The thesis argues that the animal rights are granted to animals in order to set limitations on the behaviour of humans because many people abuse and disregard the wellbeing of animals for which they should be held accountable. This report will analyse the role of animal rights and evaluate various moral and ethical consideration related to animal rights.
- What are the main reasons for granting the rights to animals?
- What are the ethical concerns relating to animal rights and why the implementation of animal rights is significant?
The main argument or the basic assumption which is given in favour of animal rights is that animals are independent, and they are capable of managing their own lives. The animal rights are given to protect the basic individual rights of animals such as avoid suffering and cruel behaviour of employees. The concept of moral rights is related to “moral agents” that provides that people are abiding by certain moral principles which govern their actions. As per Kymlicka & Donaldson (2014), various rights are given to disabled people and children because they are unable to protect themselves, similarly, the concept of animal rights focus on protecting the interest of animals from the cruel behaviour of humans. The number of people who think that the right of people should be protected is increasing all across the globe. Just like humans, animals have feelings too, and they need protection under the law as well. According to Beirne (2013), the fundamental rights established by humans are focused on protecting their rights from suffering; the rights ensure that the lives of people are protected, and they are not taken by anyone. Similarly, the concept of animal right focuses on protecting animals from unfair treatment and ensures that they are protected. Many experts argue that animals have inherent worth in nature without which the balance of life on earth is adversely affected.
Wrenn (2013) provided that animals are used by humans as a source of milk, skin, and meat which depends on the culture and beliefs of humans; however, it is important for people to know that animals have values apart from these as well. The animal rights focus on protecting the lives of animals by eliminating their use in testing and other cruel behaviours. However, many people have contradictory views as well who argues that human beings are the most important being on the planet earth, and all the resources of earth should be used for ensuring their survival. Kopnina & Gjerris (2015) provided that animals are used by scientists for testing because the lives of humans are more valuable and these tests assist in finding cures of diseases and finding medical advancements which assist human in addressing serious diseases and increasing their life expectancy rate. As per Hansson & Jacobsson (2014), many people have the opinion that killing animals is crucial for self-survival to use them for food and other purposes based on which this is morally acceptable. However, these views are changing worldwide as the importance of animal rights increased significantly. Many people use animals for testing which are unethical and cause them pain to see how much can they suffer.
The Moral and Ethical Considerations
Vaarst & Alroe (2012) provided in the study that many large organisations and laboratories kept animals in small cages for a long period of time and give them bare minimum food. Many enterprises use the skin and other parts of animals to make cosmetic beauty products or apparel products such as belts, purses, coats, and others. Studies have also shown that human can get the same level of nutrition from vegetables and fruits which they get from the meat of animals. As per Ogden, Hall & Tanita (2013), organisations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals or PETA focuses on establishing global campaigns in order to reduce cruelty with animals. There are various laws passed by the government which recognises the rights of animals and protects them from suffering or unfair killings. From an ethical perspective, protecting the lives of animals is important since they feel pain as well and oppressing them is inhuman behaviour which should be punished. Haas & Ferreira (2016) provided that the rate of deaths of rhinoceros and elephants is growing substantially because criminals kill them for their horns and teeth. Many people sell the animal skins and their fur on the black market which are sold for a high price. Therefore, it is concluded that these actions are unethical due to which it becomes important for governments to recognise the rights of animals in order to ensure that they are safe and not killed for their parts.
The research methodology will include various strategies and methods which will be used by the researcher while conducting the research. The methods will be given for the approach, design, data collection methods and philosophy of the research. Effective selection of these methods and strategies resulted in improving the effectiveness of the research and assist the researcher in resolving the issues rose in the research. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the importance of animal rights and ethical concerns associated with them. Various studies and journals will be evaluated in the research to maintain a balance between the research topic and relevant information. The purpose of establishing this comprehensive methodology is to ensure the quality of research along with the reliability of the data collected for the research.
A mixed research design will be adopted in this research which includes the attributes of both quantitative and qualitative design. In qualitative research design, the information will be collected from people in order to understand their views on the topic of animal rights. A survey will be conducted to collect the data from people and experts to understand their views on animal rights and ethical concerns relating to the protection of animal rights. The evaluated based on the survey will assist the researcher in achieving the objective of the research while adhering to the time frame.
In this research, the data will be collected through a survey using questionnaire in order to collect the feedback of public and experts on animal rights. This research design will allow the researcher to collect first hand and relevant information regarding the topic of the research. Microsoft Word will be used to prepare the questionnaire for the research. Participants of the research will receive the questionnaire through their email. A literature review will be conduct based on secondary resources which include books, journals, and other online and offline resources. The theoretical information regarding the topic will be collected through the literature review, and the questionnaire will assist the researcher in collecting primary data. By using both of these techniques, the researcher will be able to collect the relevant data for the topic and reach a valid and ethical outcome.
Both primary and secondary types of data will be collected in this research. The secondary data will be collected from various sources including books, journals, websites, and others. The primary data will be collected through the questionnaire which will be sent to the participants who will participate in this research. By using both data collection methods, the researcher will be able to collect both primary and secondary data on the topic which will result in increasing the effectiveness of the research.
In this research, the researcher will use a probability sampling procedure since the topic of the study is subjective in nature. The random data sampling method will be used by the researcher to collect the data on random basis which will reduce the risk of biases in the research. The method of non-probability sampling method will be avoided by the researcher during the research to ensure that biases did not result in influencing the outcome of the research. The questionnaire for this research will be sent to 50 individuals that include some experts who have experience in the topic. The questionnaire will assist in collecting the information on the topic by evaluating different opinions of individuals and experts on the topic.
The data analysis technique will be used by the researcher to evaluate both primary and secondary data to track the pattern of the topic. The technique will assist the researcher in interpreting the information that is collected through both primary and secondary sources. Moreover, the researcher has the option to select between different data analysis techniques such as content analysis, statistical analysis, disclosure analysis, and others. In this research, content analysis technique will be used to determine the reason for the implementation of ethical rights and ethical concerns with them. This technique will enable the researcher in analysing the data to reach a valid outcome.
References
Beirne, P. (2013). Animal rights, animal abuse and green criminology. In Issues in green criminology, pp. 77-106.
Fennell, D. A. (2012). Tourism and animal rights. Tourism Recreation Research, 37(2), 157-166.
Haas, T. C., & Ferreira, S. M. (2016). Combating rhino horn trafficking: The need to disrupt criminal networks. PloS one, 11(11).
Hansson, N., & Jacobsson, K. (2014). Learning to be affected: Subjectivity, sense, and sensibility in animal rights activism. Society & Animals, 22(3), 262-288.
Kopnina, H., & Gjerris, M. (2015). Are Some Animals More Equal than Others? Animal Rights and Deep Ecology in Environmental Education. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 20, 108-122.
Kymlicka, W., & Donaldson, S. (2014). Animal rights, multiculturalism, and the left. Journal of Social Philosophy, 45(1), 116-135.
Vaarst, M., & Alroe, H. F. (2012). Concepts of animal health and welfare in organic livestock systems. Journal of agricultural and environmental ethics, 25(3), 333-347.
Wrenn, C. L. (2013). Resonance of moral shocks in abolitionist animal rights advocacy: Overcoming contextual constraints. Society & Animals, 21(4), 379-394.
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