Karen Dawn on why she supports rights of animals to be treated humanely

    Karen Dawn is the author of Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals. In a published interview, she explains why she supports animal rights:

I am human, so all things being equal, I will put human life over that of other animals. But things are so grossly unequal. I don’t put pigs before people, but I am vegetarian because I put a pig’s right to live before my right to eat a bacon double cheeseburger. . . . When people learn about factory farming and animal testing, they are likely to feel that society’s current treatment of animals must change. So it is up to us, with good arguments and warmth, to make sure that animal issues are increasingly part of public dialogue. (Quoted in AllAnimals, Fall 2008, p. 29, published by The Humane Society of the United States.)

    For a brief biography of Karen Dawn, click here. For details about Thanking the Monkey, click here.

Comments

[Vicki]

I think I'll read this book. I've been vegetarian for over 20 years, concerned about sustainability issues and the mercilessness of factory farming. I don't always agree with animal rights activists, but it's time to re-examine my thoughts. This book looks like a good place to start.