io9: What could happen if animals become legal persons?

[frameacloud]

An article on io9 explores some possibilities of What could happen if animals become legal persons.

Comments

[crystal-waters.livejournal.com]

I'm going to guess bestiality, and I'm not havin'g none of that. :|

[greenreaper.livejournal.com]

Might make it tricky for some furry artists, given various laws about depictions of "persons".

Overall, it would be a big mess. The world currently assumes (only) people are humans and all the laws and customs are based around that.

I expect limited changes in the area of expanded animal rights/abuse laws.

[zeeth_kyrah]

The world currently assumes (only) people are humans

Which is why the current test case, corporations as people, is failing so hard. It is not appropriate for a created tool to be given the rights of a person unless it acts in direct agency for a person or specific group of people who are responsible for its acts -- and then it's effectively a proxy for their rights.

Meanwhile, animals with moderately capable intelligence, an understanding of basic personhood, and the ability to ask for their rights, are considered not-persons. Because humans made the law assuming a whole lot about how much of the law any person can actually understand.