Leading discussions on animal rights

Abstract

JAVMA, Vol 233, No. 6, September 15, 2008 T often, veterinarians decline opportunities to discuss animal rights. They sometimes state that they support animal welfare, but they often avoid engaging the subject of animal rights. As a result, important questions regarding the appropriate and inappropriate use of animals are addressed by individuals who are frequently poorly informed in these matters. The public believes that veterinarians are experts on animal welfare and animal rights. A veterinarian’s formal education and experience qualify him or her to provide guidance in these areas. However, when the public seeks direction from veterinarians on matters of animal rights, the responses they receive are often vague or nonsubstantive. Some of the confusion that infects any discussion on animal welfare and animal rights results from a failure to focus on what does and does not impact the welfare of farm animals. Discussions on animal rights are often sidetracked onto issues such as vegetarianism, the urban consumer, farm size, organic agriculture, and other tangential subjects. Discussions should focus on the history of animal domestication with an emphasis on the use of the correct terminology to build well-constructed arguments. In this commentary, we distinguish between those areas germane to discussions on animal welfare and animal rights from those that are of an extraneous nature.