Any Vegetarians/Vegans here?

[James2014]

No what I am saying is that humans reciprocate the rights that are given to other humans. I have the right to not be assaulted, and I reciprocate that right to other people. Animals do not have the ability to do so. Why should I afford another creature the same rights I give to other humans when that animal will not afford me that right. Animals do not understand that laws of man, only the laws of nature. If I beat a dog yes someone would take me to court but it wouldn't be the dog. The purpose of giving people rights is to protect everyone, but what you are arguing for is that animals be given better rights than people. That they should be given rights when it is in favor of them (not being eaten) but that they should be exempt from the responsibility that comes with those rights (imprisonment or death for murder). What you have done in this instance is made two classes of citizens. Humans and animals. And you placed animals above humans.

So do severely mentally disabled humans have rights? They cannot reciprocate any rights they have either. They do not understand the laws of man either. So what is it to be, do they have rights or not?
The fact is while correlative rights and duties are great for a legal system, they are nonsense when talking about ethics.

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But surely there must be some property of being a human that confers these rights, which all humans have but animals don't, right?
So what is that property?

Answer: We (humans) rule this planet therfore we decide what rights are and who or what gets them.
Animals don't rule the world so the only rights they have are what we give them.
If it were up to people like you we would probably be giving dogs welfare, food stamps, and sending them to college.

The fact that humans are powerful is irrelevant. Its a question of ethics, yes they only have the rights we give them, but what rights SHOULD they have?
If it were up to people like you millions of animals would live awful lives before being brutally slaughtered, just for a bit of culinary enjoyment.... oh wait....