HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
Should Great Apes Be Given Legal Rights?

A FEW summers ago, a chimpanzee fell into the moat at Detroit Zoo and started to drown. Rick Swope, a visitor to the zoo, jumped in and pulled the animal back onto the only piece of dry land he could reach, an area already occupied by another dangerously agitated chimp. When asked why he took such a risk, Swope replied: "I looked into [the drowning chimp's] eyes. And it was like looking into the eyes of a man."

Swope is far from alone in thinking that chimps, as well as orang-utans, gorillas and bonobos, are in some ways eerily like humans. Evidence of both cognitive and genetic similarities is fuelling an international drive to win certain "human" rights for all great apes. Backers of this crusade, known as the Great Ape Project, argue that because all great apes have certain "indicators of humanhood"-they are self-aware, have distinct personalities, form deep emotional attachments, are intelligent and have rudimentary linguistic abilities-and are genetically similar to humans, they should be given at least some of the legal rights humans enjoy.

The Great Ape Project has now culminated in a campaign to ensure that New Zealand's new Animal Welfare bill, which may become law within a few weeks, contains a clause making nonhuman great apes the first animals in the world with individual, fundamental rights that will stand up in a court of law: the right to life, the right not to suffer cruel or degrading treatment, and the right not to take part in all but the most benign experiments.

"The idea is to set a precedent that other countries can follow," says David Penny, a theoretical biologist at Massey University in Palmerston North and lead author of a submission to the New Zealand parliament from 38 of the country's scientists, lawyers and philosophers. Under current regulations, the onus is on the government to take action in cases of abuse, but if their campaign is successful, the new law will allow concerned individuals to ste
'"/>

Contact: Claire Bowles
claire.bowles@rbi.co.uk
44-171-331-2751
New Scientist
10-Feb-1999


Page: 1 2 3 4

Related biology news :

1. Should Roundup Ready soybeans be managed differently than conventional soybeans?
2. Should publicly funded research be free and available to the public?
3. Fine Toothed Combs, Not Chemicals, Should Be Used To Treat Head Lice
4. Iron Supplemented Formula Milk Should Be Free For Inner City Children Into Their Second Year Of Life
5. Penn Researchers Prove "Short-Cut" Function Of Myelin Sheath Channel: BetterUnderstanding Of Myelin Should Lead To Therapies For Neuropathies
6. Adults Need To Increase Intake Of Folate; Some Women Should Take More
7. EPA Should Redirect Some Research on Toxic Airborne Particles
8. Drivers Should Pay More Of Environmental Costs, Report Says
9. Lactose-Intolerant People Should Drink More Milk, Expert Says
10. Infants, Toddlers Should Not Restrict Fat Intake, Experts Say
11. Bee Sting Treatment Should Emphasize Speed, Not Method Of Removal

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Should Great Apes Given Legal Rights

(Date:6/17/2013)... The AGA Research Foundation and Horizon Pharma further establish ... with the 2013 AGA-Horizon Pharma Fellow Abstract Prizes and ... its third year, this competition continues to grow in ... careers in basic and clinical research," said Nicholas F. ... "We are extremely proud of all that these fellows ...
(Date:6/17/2013)... is available in French . ... in older mice with Alzheimer,s disease can be reversed with ... and Hospital - The Neuro, at McGill University and at ... specific receptor in the brain of mice with advanced Alzheimer,s ... in the Journal of Neuroinflammation in May, also ...
(Date:6/16/2013)... million years ago triggered a similar marine ecosystem crisis ... of global warming, according to research published today in ... from the universities of Newcastle, UK, Cologne, Frankfurt and ... crash in the marine ecosystem during the mid-Cretaceous greenhouse ... time the amplitude and duration of the temperature change.,Analysing ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Horizon Pharma Abstract Prizes recognize promising fellows and students 2Blocking overactive receptor in Alzheimer's recovers memory loss and more 2Global cooling as significant as global warming 2
(Date:6/18/2013)... Demanding industrial and environmental conditions are no match ... Glass Ball Lenses, now available in an extensive range ... of Philadelphia , PA. , Optical Ball Lenses boost ... without the need for direct physical contact. That’s where ... make it the ideal choice for fiber-optic applications in ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... , June 18, 2013 ... release of the HELM biomolecular representation standard software ... MIT licence. HELM (Hierarchical Editing Language ... range of biomolecules (e.g. proteins, nucleotides, antibody drug ... and sequence-based informatics methodologies impractical or unusable. HELM ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... , June 18, 2013 Mapi Pharma ... generic and innovative intermediates, and finished dosage forms based on ... been granted a United States patent ... Europe for the oral treatment of moderate-to-severe ... titled Intermediate Compounds and Processes for the Preparation of ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... , June 18, 2013   Lexicon ... a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering breakthrough treatments ... Northcott has joined the company as its ... Mr. Northcott brings extensive commercial experience to Lexicon, ... a variety of therapeutic areas. Mr. ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Swiss Jewel Introduces the Crown Jewels of Fiber-Optic Connectors 2The Pistoia Alliance Releases HELM Biomolecular Representation Standard Open Source Tools 2Mapi Pharma Granted United States Patent for Pain Relief Medication "Tapentadol" 2John Northcott Joins Lexicon as Vice President of Marketing, Commercial Strategy and Operations 2John Northcott Joins Lexicon as Vice President of Marketing, Commercial Strategy and Operations 3
Cached News: