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Loading...Declare ‘Human’ Rights For Dolphins and Whales, Scientists Urge
A session this week at the world’s largest annual science conference presented the case for considering whales and dolphins as non-human persons, with basic rights to life, liberty and well-being. The session at the American Associaton for the Advancement of Science considered the ethical and policy implications of recent advances in scientific understanding of the intelligence and behavior of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and urged support for the Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans, originally proposed in 2010.
Proponents of the Declaration point to the advanced intelligence of cetaceans. The session description reads: “A variety of scientific studies have found that whales and dolphins are capable of advanced cognitive abilities (such as problem-solving, artificial “language” comprehension, and complex social behavior), indicating that these cetaceans are far more intellectually and emotionally sophisticated than previously thought.” The participants presented multiple examples of cetaceans acting with empathy, cooperation and self-awareness.
One of the presenters, Dr. Lori Marino, outlined the ramification of recognizing cetacean “personhood” as it relates to whaling: “Once you shift from seeing a being as a property, a commodity, a resource, to a person, an autonomous entity that has a right to life on his or her own terms, the whole framework shifts.. this is not about harvesting resources, this is about murder.”
The Declaration has a long road to any kind of passage or world recognition, and faces stiff opposition from the whaling industry, from marine parks or facilities that keep whales, dolphins and porpoises in captivity, and from some religious groups who object to equating animal species with humans.
Caveats and Precedents
A case might be made that there are pressing concerns to preserve and expand human rights in the world. Canada’s National Post quotes a spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, when asked about the declaration: “I sometimes wonder whether we’ve got our priorities mixed up when we treat animals and the environment with more respect than human beings. There are billions of people around the world who deserve our attention.” Opponents seem to assume that compassion is a zero sum game, as if extending rights to one group means there’s less to go around for everyone else.
However, extending the concept of personhood beyond human individuals is a fraught action, as we have seen in the U.S. case, Citizens United. By declaring that corporations are persons, the Supreme Court unleashed a torrent of corporate funding into an already cash-engorged political system. If the concept of personhood can be extended to corporations, surely the case could be made that dolphins are at least as human as Exxon Mobil or Monsanto.
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Read more: animal welfare, captivity, cetacean, declaration cetacean rights, dolphins, environment, personhood, porpoises, whales, whaling
Photo by Paul Anderson via MorgueFile Free License
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+ add your ownThe poll is where it states something about "supporting cetacean rights" but before you decide to support this one i'd urge you to do a little research into what is actually being proposed here if you don't understand all the ramifications of law as it pertains to "personhood". I think i will do a little more research on the subject of personhood as it pertains to whaling before i make any decisions about it.
Free Captain Paul Watson he is a very brave man who is in jail for fighting the whale industry and trying to save our marine life.
Free Captain Paul Watson he is a very brave man who is in jail for fighting the whale industry and trying to save our marine life.
There is no companion petition, chris; it's simply a news article.
Thanks too for posting. Where's the petition?
Evitemos la extinción de los cetáceos ¡La estúpida ceguera de "beneficio" a corto plazo! En esto también, como en tantas otras cosas: avariciosos compulsivos amasando fortunas que no podrían gastar ni viviendo cien vidas, mientras el nivel de pobreza, desesperanza y muerte alcanza a cada vez más millones de seres humanos en todo el mundo, se extinguen especies, se degrada hasta lo imposible el medio ambiente. "El mal avanza no porque los "malos" sean más sino porque los "buenos" no hacen nada. Es tiempo de decir ¡Basta ya!, de ACTUAR ¡Hay que pararlo antes de que sea demasiado tarde!
The Japanese don't realize their lack of respect for other beings on this planet deems them as evil. They don't respect other human races either.
Shame on humans!
Free Captain Paul Watson,a real hero who is in prison fro protecting whales from this criminal poachers…!
Free Captain Paul Watson,NOW!
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