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 I can't live saying that I care about the environment, health, civil rights, hunger, poverty, peace or compassion and conveniently forget the unnecessary suffering that so many animals endure at our hands, when we have choices that allow us to put an end to it. Each of these other issues is intimately connected with animal rights, as pain is pain and violence is violence; it does not matter in what context we choose to frame it. By advocating the rights of animals I am also advocating the rights I find inherent in all beings. When we choose to ignore or even go so far as to deny the agony and waste intrinsic in our daily choices of food, clothing or entertainment, we not only harm animals but we also lose our own integrity and harm ourselves.
-Becky |
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 I started caring about animal rights the same way that I think people start caring about human rights, through simple empathy. I saw something in other species, like pain, suffering and emotion, that I could relate to. This eventually led me to become vegan. However, I don't think that I'm especially empathetic compared to many non-vegans, nor do I like food any less. I just managed to find my way out of the excuses that kept me from considering non-human animals as individuals with interests.
Making the long transition to veganism was the best thing that I ever did. It's been liberating to have the guilt of eating the flesh, milk and eggs of exploited animals off my shoulders. It's been empowering to know that I can make such a difference in the world, both for animals and the environment, simply by eating a vegan diet. For me, advocating veganism isn't just about helping animals. It's about sharing this sense of liberation and empowerment with others. If I can do it, anyone can.
-Maura |
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 The first time I looked my meat in the face was in biology class, dissecting fetal pigs. Of course we weren't going to eat the formaldehyde-soaked carcasses, but the experience knocked at the door of my conscience. For the following weeks, I choaked down my hamburgers, pretending nothing was wrong. But soon, I succumbed to my guilt. I realized that if I couldn't bear to cut open a lifeless pig, how could I justify eating an already butchered one for dinner. I realized how detached I'd been from the whole process--it goes from the factory farms, to the feed yards, to the slaughter house assembly lines, to the meat-packing plant, to the distributors, to McDonalds, and to our trays, nicely wrapped in paper. I'd never thought of all of that! I'd never thought of the pain and suffering on the other end. If I couldn't face it in biology class, then I didn't deserve to eat it.
I want to confront others with these issues. I want to ask them to justify the implications of their actions. I'd like to evoke sympathy for animals, not because I'm some self-righteous kook, but because my heart's no bigger than anyone else's. -Greg |
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 I am vegan because my pain is no greater than their pain. I suffer the same as a dairy cow, the same as a lab rat. I am vegan because i can see the un-necessary suffering in a shampoo bottle, the loneliness in zoos. I am vegan for every animal whose pain was silenced, brushed aside. I am vegan because I feel that caring about something is more important than convenience, because my pain is no greater than theirs, and I can see this. -Ali
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 I believe that animals have a right to exist free of harmful interference by human beings. Animals are not here for us to use in whatever way we see fit. They do not share the planet with us merely for our personal enjoyment, and they don't owe us anything (not their fur, skin, bodies, affection, or attention). I think it's ridiculous that we separate non-human animals into two convenient categories: pets and food. The animals in the first group are worthy of life and those in the other aren't. I do not see a difference in the inherent worth of the cat which lives with me and a cow being tortured in a slaughter house. The animals which we declare unworthy of rights and respect can feel pain, joy, sadness, and fear in the same way other animals can. This division is both dangerous and false.
I often say that being vegan is the biggest blessing in my life and others are usually shocked. Choosing veganism has allowed me to become more conscious of how my values are reflected in my actions. How can I call myself a non-violent pacifist if I consume food which inflicts violence on other beings? How can I honestly claim to be a compassionate person if the skin care products, shoes, coat, and food I buy perpetuate suffering? The meat/dairy/egg industries have convinced us that we, as humans, are above, separate, and better than the non-human animals in our midst. However, I think that we are intricately connected to all other beings and that any perceived separation or superiority is our own creation. I believe in animal rights because I've never been able to look into an animal's eyes and see a soul worthy of death and suffering. I wonder what this world would look like if we started looking at every being's soul like that.
-Reannon
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 I've always loved animals, more than anything, more than anyone. The Cat Who Went to Heaven was the first book ever read to me, and Charlotte's Web was the first "big kid" book I read by myself. I knew, from the beginning, that eating meat meant taking animal lives. Still, I ducked responsibility for my choices by telling myself that animals are raised to be slaughtered. Somehow, I was absolved because I never personally killed my food. The guilt never went away though, and I finally became vegetarian in 2002. I was happy; I figured I was doing my part. I didn't know what veganism was, or that chickens are allotted 4 inches of living space to lay eggs, or that dairy cows are not only artificially inseminated, but that they are raped--it's an apt description--by Paris Hilton on national television.
On 8:00pm on Monday, February 4th 2004, I was challenged by a friend to consider these things. I did, and I realized I could do easily do more by becoming vegan. Yet, there was one question that kept running through my head. Why do we kill animals? Is it because they are unable to defend themselves because of their low intelligence? Is it because we can't communicate with them? Is it because humans have the right to kill animals out of convenience? No. I won't believe people are that selfish. But I feel like I've been searching for the answers to these questions my whole life, and I'm scared to death that I may already know the reason. Perhaps, the answer to the last three questions is a simple "Yes." Nevertheless, the more thought I give to those questions, the more I also wonder: why do we kill humans?
-Alex |
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 I've loved so many animals for their character and intelligence. They express affection, have moods, and feel pain just as humans do. This is true of all animals, including the ones that we don't see everyday or have as pets. It is true of those that live in utter misery on factory farms, or those tortured in labs. Society makes these lives invisible so people don't have to think or take responsibility for their actions. But I do not wish to ignore these lives. I believe that each of their lives is as valuable as any human life. Through veganism I assert that I do not wish to live my life off of the suffering of other animals. Through animal rights I wish to help give the animals a voice -Liza |
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 it strikes me as odd (as well as makes me shudder at times) when contemplating the necessity to advocate for animal rights, for it implies a rather dire situation. one would think with our supposed higher intellect and advanced "civilization" we would have evolved beyond the rule of "might makes right." alas, it has merely shifted to new levels of exploitation, both in degree and number.
so why animal rights? because it is one way of making the world a better place. because there is too much suffering as things are. because it is simply to care. because there is continual injustice against those who are voiceless and powerless. because it is part of who i am. -d.stunt |
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 i love meat. seriously, i really love meat. beef, pork, chicken, everything. and cheese. and eggs. don't even get me started on seafood.
so when i first gave up meat it was a struggle. to this day it's still a struggle, i won't lie. however, i love food just as much and probably more then i did when i still ate meat. it may seem ironic, but "limiting" my diet has actually opened up my food choices and exposed me to some really amazing food, that's also vegan! i may have lost something by giving up certain foods, but i have gained more than enough to make up for that loss. i enjoy food and the art of eating more than ever - just ask anyone who knows me. as for why animal rights? there are so many reasons, too many to write in this small space. everyone else here has articulated much better than i ever could. so all i want to say is that if a meat-lover like me can choose a vegan diet, then ANYONE can!
-eric |
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