Rats, Rights, and Research: A Debate On Animal Rights

Steven M. Wise in Debate on National Public Radio's Justice Talking

For 4000 years, a legal wall has separated humans from the rest of the animal world...but now some are trying to tear that wall down. Given that they share 99 percent DNA with humans, should chimpanzees be treated as people with basic rights? What would that mean for medicine? For science?... for zoos and circuses? Should the U.S. constitution say “we the people, and other animals?"

In this debate of February 5, 2001, Steve meets Richard Epstein, a professor of law at the University of Chicago where he has taught contracts, property, torts, criminal law, health law, workers compensation and political theory. A prolific author, his most recent book is ‘Principles for a Free Society’, reconciling individual liberty with a common good. Since 1984, he has been a senior fellow at the Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1985.

You can hear the entire debate and find other resources related to the show, at www.justicetalking.org

Vermont attorney prepares to educate judges

We think that it is vital we bring our message of basic legal rights for nonhuman animals, beginning with chimpanzees and bonobos, to those directly responsible for making these decisions - judges. Therefore, over the last six months, Pamela Dein, a Vermont attorney working with CEFR, has been working hard to identify what conferences of judges might exist in the United States at which we might make such presentations, perhaps along with primatologists.

Now that she has nearly completed that work, we are beginning to submit proposals to speak at these judicial conferences.

Steven M. Wise publications

In response to requests, we've added a list of publications by Steven M. Wise to this web site.

To view the list, click here