New animal rights book on its way

July 8, 12:31 PMVegan ExaminerAdam Kochanowicz

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While I was promising one free affectionate jab to the chin every hour for one person using the "#vegansgetiton" tag on Twitter, animal rights law professor Gary L. Francione not only started a long-awaited twitter account but announced the release of his newest book, "The Animal Rights Debate: Abolition or Regulation".  Click the above image to retweet on Twitter.

Professor Francione is best known for pioneering the Abolitionist Approach which is best explained by the six principles of the animal rights movement:

The Six Principles of the Animal Rights Position

1. The animal rights position maintains that all sentient beings, humans or nonhumans, have one right: the basic right not to be treated as the property of others.
2. Our recognition of the one basic right means that we must abolish, and not merely regulate, institutionalized animal exploitation—because it assumes that animals are the property of humans.
3. Just as we reject racism, sexism, ageism, and heterosexism, we reject speciesism. The species of a sentient being is no more reason to deny the protection of this basic right than race, sex, age, or sexual orientation is a reason to deny membership in the human moral community to other humans.
4. We recognize that we will not abolish overnight the property status of nonhumans, but we will support only those campaigns and positions that explicitly promote the abolitionist agenda. We will not support positions that call for supposedly “improved” regulation of animal exploitation. We reject any campaign that promotes sexism, racism, heterosexism or other forms of discrimination against humans.
5. We recognize that the most important step that any of us can take toward abolition is to adopt the vegan lifestyle and to educate others about veganism. Veganism is the principle of abolition applied to one’s personal life and the consumption of any meat, fowl, fish, or dairy product, or the wearing or use of animal products, is inconsistent with the abolitionist perspective.
6. We recognize the principle of nonviolence as the guiding principle of the animal rights movement.

(c) Gary L. Francione

The Ideology of Animal Rights

Prof. Francione is also the author of a slew of books on animal rights starting with the book Vivisection and Dissection in the Classroom:  A Guide to Consciencious Objection which I am currently reading.  I haven't yet read all his works, though I was thoroughly inspired by Rain without Thunder: The Ideology of the Animal Rights Movement.

The most prominent feature of Francione's work is his objection to animal welfarism--the theory that the use and even killing of animals is justifiable so long as they are treated "humanely".

Francione's work shows how welfarist movements and regulations which seek to better the treatment of animals conversely increases exploitation and actually makes the public feel better about exploiting animals.  While Francione's work spans decades, an almost prophetic result is rampant in consumerism today where the public is lauding the consumption of humanely raised, ethically slaughtered, or cage-free animal products with the belief such consumer choices are actually in the best interests for the animals.

I highly recommend reading one of Francione's works.  Otherwise, see his site at abolitionistapproach.com to learn more about the ideology of animal rights.