… in recognising rights for our nearest relatives.
Spain is likely to pass legislation recognising rights for the great apes, species that share so many of our characteristics.
The law would eliminate the concept of “ownership” for great apes, instead placing them under the “moral guardianship” of the state, much as is the case for children in care, the severely handicapped and those in comas, said the MP behind the project, Francisco Garrido. … The law would also make it a criminal offence to mistreat or kill a great ape, except in cases of self-defence or medical euthanasia.
New Zealand and the UK have already banned medical experiments on great apes.
This reminds me of a short story I read many years ago that made a great impression. It was a Swiftian-style satire that had, as I recall, a human society passing a law saying animals could be used for food if there IQ was a certain percentage below the human average. Then aliens with a far higher intelligence arrive, and use that law against its makers. Anyone know the story?
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