Animal Rights Laws

Animal rights is a relatively recent issue considered by humanity. Up to the 17th century, no laws or protections were offered to animals. In fact, animals were regarded as having "no souls, minds or reason." Animal cruelty was not just accepted, it was the norm in Western society up until the early 19th century. The first animal rights laws were passed in the 17th century, and continue to evolve as society redefines the relationship of man and animals.

Ireland passed one of the first animal rights laws in the Western world in 1635, prohibiting two common cruel practices against working animals. One of these was forbidding the attachment of a plow to a horse's tail. Puritans in both England and America were quick to afford some protections to working class animals as well. However, these laws were rarely enforced and, in England, eventually repealed. Widespread and effective animal rights legislation did not gain ground until the 19th century with the historic passing of the Cruelty to Animals Act in 1835. The act was, itself, an extension of the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act of 1822. Once again, the United Kingdom was the forerunner of animal rights, outlawing the violent traditions of bear-baiting and cockfighting, as well as cruelty to a number of domestic animals.

One of the more heated points that has concerned animal rights supporters in the 20th century is the use of vivisection and animal laboratory testing. Laws banning vivisection entirely are rare if not completely unheard of. Nevertheless, the United Kingdom and other countries have passed animal rights laws restricting vivisection and animal experimentation. The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act of 1986 in the United Kingdom has been judged as the most comprehensive law controlling vivisection, though animal rights advocates claim that it is still not enough.

Animal rights laws in the United States are generally locally and state based. The Animal Welfare Act is the Federal law in the U.S. that places restrictions on the use of animals in laboratories and experiments.