Spain could soon become the first country in the world to give chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and other great apes some of the fundamental rights granted to human beings under a law being proposed by members of the ruling Socialist coalition.
The law would eliminate the concept of "ownership" for great apes, instead placing them under the "moral guardianship" of the state, much as is the case for children in care, the severely handicapped and those in comas, said the MP behind the project, Francisco Garrido.
Great apes held in Spanish zoos would be moved to state-built sanctuaries, unless there was a risk that moving them would harm their emotional welfare, he said.
The law would also make it a criminal offence to mistreat or kill a great ape, except in cases of self-defence or medical euthanasia.
As a first step, Mr Garrido, a Green MP for Seville who sits with the Socialists, will propose a resolution on the rights of great apes before the parliament’s environment committee at the end of this month. He said he expects the committee to approve the resolution which already has received the public support of ministers.
Mr Garrido said he was confident that either the government, or the ruling Socialist majority, would introduce a Great Apes Law after the summer recess.
The Roman Catholic Church has expressed concerns about his resolution.
The Archbishop of Pamplona and Tudela, Fernando Sebastian, has said that only a "ridiculous or distorted society" could propose such a law.
"We don’t give rights to some people – such as unborn children, human embryos, and we are going to give them to apes," the archbishop said.
13 comments
first off i say f@#k the catholic retards that disrespect animals. second off i say f@#k everyone else who thinks they are not capable of thought or emotion! they are more worthy to inhabit this planet than we are! at least they have boundaries. do we? i say no… take a quick note of the things going on…f@#k humanity and its prepostorous bullshit!maybe we should take some lessons from the other side you stupid fucks! now here is a side point. anyone who believes in god is wasting their time! we have evolved the records proove it. and if we were created, it was not “god” it was an evolved race of beings. fuck you.
In the immortal words of Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes, “It’s a MAAAAADHOUUUUUUUUSE!”
I was always fond of Spanish Apes
Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle! (…er aunt)
If a gorilla attacked a Spaniard, would the gorillas rights be revoked? Would the gorilla’s defense team plead that the gorilla is merely acting on instinct and, therefore, is not culpable for the infringement of the Spaniard’s rights?
You can’t have your cake and eat it, too. Either the apes are treated as “citizens” or they are treated as animals.
I’m not advocating ill treatment of animals, but there’s a difference between treating an animal “humane-ly” and treating them “human-ly”.
This is an obvious ploy on the part of the Spanish Socialists to create yet another beholden constituency and increase their chances of winning future elections. Let us hope that Howard Dean and the Democrats don’t get the same silly ideas–but then there are already simply many dead people who have traditionally voted Democratic from the grave. One only need to live in and around Chicago to learn about the enfranchisement of the dearly departed.
Will it be legal or illegal to abort an ape in Spain?
Mr. Flapatap,
That is the great question that will occupy the next generation of Spanish jurists for decades to come.
I guess that means that doing medical research on primates in Spain is right out, then.
I guess that means that doing medical research on primates in Spain is right out, then.
Unless they have a picture of Franco hung somewhere in their house. Then it is a matter of legal debate.
I’ve posted this at The New Crusade. Great Post!
If you see a mention of this in your local newspaper, write a letter to the editor pointing out, for example, that unborn human children are closer genetically to adult humans than apes are. In fact, unborn human children are identical to adult humans. You could why the Spanish government would protect apes, which are only distant relatives, more than human beings living temporarily in a womb.
It served the Church so much, I don’t think Spain is going to burn down like this.
Out of the ashes, The Catholic Spain will rise again. A Kingdom who spread the Faith to the Americas, battled the heretics, and had Kings elevated to Sainthood could not go out like this.
Europe will rise out the ashes. Even if it has to burn first.
VIVA ESPA�A