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Theory of Animal Rights

Professor Francione has developed a theory of animal rights that relies only on the sentience of nonhumans and that requires the abolition, and not merely the regulation, of animal exploitation. Professor Francione’s theory, which is developed in Introduction to Animal Rights: Your Child or the Dog? (Temple University Press, 2000), differs considerably from those proposed by others, most notably Peter Singer and Tom Regan.

Animals as Property

Professor Francione argues that the property status of animals renders meaningless animal welfare laws that prohibit the infliction of “unnecessary” suffering and require the “humane” treatment of nonhumans. Professor Francione’s book, Animals, Property, and the Law (Temple University Press, 1995), provided the first legal analysis of the property status of animals and was described by Tom Regan as a “work of unquestionable historic importance.”

Animal Rights vs. Animal Welfare

Professor Francione argues that there are profound theoretical and practical differences between animal rights and animal welfare. He is critical of what he calls “new welfarism,” or the position that incremental improvements in animal welfare will lead to the abolition of animal exploitation. These views are contained in Rain Without Thunder: The Ideology of the Animal Rights Movement (Temple University Press, 1996).

Animal Law

Professor Francione maintains that “animal law” ought to be concerned about the incremental abolition of the property status of nonhumans, and that the tendency of animal lawyers to focus on anticruelty cases, veterinary malpractice, pet custody, and pet trust cases is mistaken.

Adam Kochanowicz Interviews Professor Francione on Moral Schizophrenia and Animal Rights Ideology

October 22, 2009 @ Rutgers University School of Law-Newark

The primary focus of the interview concerns a comprehensive analysis of the animal movement and the importance of veganism. Additional topics include economic philosophy, our relations with nonhuman animals, and the failures of welfarism.

Professor Francione Delivers Keynote Address at the 2009 JAINA Convention

July 3, 2009 @ Jain Center of Southern California

JAINA is the Federation of Jain Associations in North America. The theme at the 2009 Convention was: “Ecology: The Jain Way.”

Professor Francione Presents Animal Rights and Animal Welfare

April 16, 2008 @ Meeting of Animal Advocates, Paris, France

Professor Francione speaks in English and a paraphrase translation is provided by Valéry Giroux, P.D student (philosophy) at the University of Montréal in Canada. The focus of his presentation is the theoretical and practical failure of animal welfare.

Animal World Interviews Professor Francione on “A Closer Look at Animal Rights”

April 15, 2008 @ Animal World, Paris, France

The primary focus of the interview concerns the importance of veganism as the moral baseline of the rights/abolitionist movement.

Professor Francione Keynotes “Animal Rights: The Last Ten Years”

April 7, 2006 @ Duke University School of Law, North Carolina, USA

Professor Francione gave the keynote address at a conference on Animals and the Law held on April 7, 2006 at Duke University School of Law in North Carolina. He focused on how recent welfare reform had failed to shift away from the property paradigm in any significant way.

Three Slaughterhouse Videos

In 1978, I visited a slaughterhouse. I walked in as someone who had eaten meat all of his life and had never thought about the moral aspects of the practice. I walked out shocked and horrified at what I saw and convinced that I could no longer participate—I stopped eating flesh immediately.

As you watch these videos, ask yourself whether that hamburger you want or any other product that comes from these sentient creatures is worth it. Is there anything that you want to eat that badly? And remember that the people who are ultimately responsible are not those who own and operate the slaughterhouses; those who consume meat and animal products, who create the demand, bear the ultimate moral responsibility.

Two of these videos we found on the web and they appear to involve French slaughterhouses. The third video was produced by the Spanish group Igualdad Animal. But all slaughterhouses are more or less the same. They are all places of unimaginable suffering and death. They are all tragically sad places on so very many levels. There is—and can be—no such thing as a “humane” slaughterhouse.

There are many more of these clips available on the web. At the present time, we are not inclined to add more of these to the site. The purpose of this site is to get you to think about whether we can justify animal use irrespective of whether it is “humane” or not (whatever that means), and to encourage you to think about veganism as the only appropriate response to animal exploitation. The issue is not whether we can make the process more “humane.” The issue is how we can justify any of this under any circumstance. The issue is not treatment; the issue is use.

I did, however, want to post these particular videos for two reasons. The first video, which shows cows in a holding area awaiting slaughter, causes us to focus on these nonhumans as individuals. The hamburger that we eat comes from someone. The second and third videos show typical slaughterhouse scenes. Note that the animals, who have supposedly been stunned, are quite clearly conscious when they are shackled, hoisted, and cut. In every slaughterhouse I have seen, many animals are clearly very conscious during the actual killing process. But even if they were not conscious at that very last moment, this whole enterprise would still be nothing but a moral outrage.

Gary L. Francione

Dans le couloir de la mort (Corridor of Death)

Posted December 08, 2008 @ YouTube

Abattoir de bovins (Cow Slaughterhouse)

Posted November 24, 2008 @ YouTube

Warning: This video contains scenes of graphic violence.

Mataderos (Slaughterhouse)

Posted July 10, 2008 @ Vimeo

Warning: This video contains scenes of graphic violence.