BBC NEWS | Europe | Spanish MPs push for apes’ rights — The left wing may be hoping that apes can be taught to vote and put them (the left) in power? I’m thinking that in the USA the apes would vote Republican. In the worse case scenario the apes would win elective office and, well, go back and watch the Planet of the Apes and see what you think might happen (shudder).
Spanish Socialist MPs hope to persuade parliament to back a landmark project seeking human-like rights for apes such as chimpanzees and orang-utans.
Campaigners say the intelligence and self-awareness shown by apes mean they deserve rights to life, freedom and protection from torture.
Parliament’s support would not be law, but would mean a commitment to the work of the NGO, the Great Ape Project.
The proposal has raised eyebrows and opposition in many areas.
found by Peter Rodwell
> “What we are talking about is very basic legal protection of rights which > will guarantee each chimpanzee, bonobo or orang-utan the opportunity > to live out his or her life according to his or her best interest,” he said.
with no thought to serving the interests of others. sounds like they will be voting Libertarian.
It’s time for chimps to have the right to vote! I have evidence that unscrupulous people have already been hiring sub-minimum wage chimps to do menial work around the house, like giving the cat a bath (click on link)
Chimps are already an invisible part of the underclass! Don’t wait for them to hurl their feces as they rise up in protest!
Banana prices can’t get any cheaper can they?
Just a small correction to John’s comment:
>The left wing may be hoping that apes can be taught to vote and put
>them (the left) in power?
In fact the left is already in power. Clearly, they’re counting on the “hairy vote” to remain in power…
All kidding aside… it’s about time that we start recognizing the intelligence and ability to suffer of animals, and legislate against it. Apes, cetaceans and other animals have PROVEN intelligence at the level of a young child, yet they are tortured and mistreated in unimaginable ways in the name of science. Would we allow a 3 year old child to go through what we put these animals? Would you lock 3 year old child in a 3 foot by 3 foot cage, isolate him from others, experiment with no restrictions on him? That is what we do to these animals. There has to be a better way… and until we force science to find the better way, abuse will continue.
Campaigners say the intelligence and self-awareness shown by apes mean they deserve rights to life, freedom and protection from torture.
Of course!! Nobody should torture animals!! Do really to debate this in Congress???
Awake, the giveaway is that many people who are gaga about animal rights are not doing a damn thing for human rights. I might take you people seriously if I ever saw you protesting in favor of improved health care, voting rights, or anti-discrimination laws for human beings. I never do.
#8, hear, hear – yes, torturing animals is wrong, no, they do not deserve the same level of rights as humans. They are not sentient beings – I’d hold that as the threshold for giving them human rights, the vote, ect …
#9…Bruce…..I think the right to live their lives in a natural state would be the only right we humans need to give BACK to the animals in our world. That would make them quite happy. Voting or *special* rights are needed.
We need to stop taking their habitat and then killing them because they eat little fluffy the cat or dog in some sububinites back yard that used to be the animals territory. I am from Arizona, where Coyotes, Havalina, Hawks, Vultures and Cougars are rountinely killed for just this thing. They are after all, just as important to the eco-system as we humans are, maybe more so, since they don’t rountinely destroy the world around them to enrich themselves.
Podesta….I do fight for Human Rights. But most of the human populations problems are caused by other supposedly *thinking* humans, not by animals that only do their best to live the life that nature gave them. And maybe you need to open your eyes more often if you don’t see animals rights people fighting for the improvement of the Human condition. Lets not forget that humans CAN stand up and fight for their own rights if they wish, animals can’t.