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ANIMAL LIBERATION Americans see animals as Iiving Yet institutions such as Ridglan creatures deserving of rights, ani- WHAT SHOULD BE do exactly that to thousands of mals used in research (or for food beagles, unbeknownst to the public or entertainment), including dogs, DONE at large. Shortly after the Institute are still deemed legal *things" who for Medicine released a report on are largely invisible to the law. The chimpanzees in research - finding result is that even tremendous cru- "What matters morally...is the both moral and scientific quanda- elty inflicted upon these animals is other's distress and pain, re- ries with the practice - the National difficult or impossible to stop. gardless of species. If nonhuman Institutes of Health ended all fed- Granting animals enforceable animals are sufficiently similar to eral funding on research involving Iegal rights is therefore a neces- humans for them to be used as chimps. The result has been an sary step to addressing cruelty scientific models in research, then effective end to the use of chimps that is opposed by the vast majority they are sufficiently similar to be in laboratory experiments. Given of Americans. If animals had the accorded a similar moral status."- the abuses outlined at Ridglan and right to their day in court -- repre- Richard D. Ryder, writer, psycholo- other facilities experimenting on sented by a court-appointed guard- gist and animal rights advocate dogs, an immediate moratorium ian ad litem then the abuses on federal funding for research exposed at places like Ridglan Of all the species of animals, on dogs should be established, could be effectively addressed. dogs are, perhaps, the most loved. and a similar report should be com- Even more importantly, however, In many American homes they are missioned for dogs.. such legislation would rapidly move regarded as treasured members of In the long term, more dramatic our society toward a new paradigm the family. Who would allow their Iegal action is necessary, how- in which we would not treat animals beloved companion to be sub- ever, to ensure that animals are such as the Ridglan dogs as mere jected to solitary confinement and protected from abuse. While most commodities. horrific experiments?.