Should Animals Have Legal Rights?

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: Why do humans see themselves as separate from other animals?

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article. Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• advocacy (p. 9)
• cognitive (p. 9)
• inherent (p. 10)
• affirmative (p. 10)
• physiological (p. 10)
• nuance (p. 10)

3. Engage
Take a poll: Do you think animals should have legal rights? Ask students to share their thinking. Poll students again after the lesson. Ask students to share why they voted the same way or why they changed their response.

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: Should Animals Have Legal Rights?, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear on the facing page of this lesson, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• What is happening in the opening image for the article? How does the illustration help convey a central idea of the article? (Visual analysis, central idea)
  (The illustration depicts a courtroom scene with an elephant in the witness stand. The elephant is holding up the Constitution—the legal document that outlines the rights of U.S. citizens—presumably as part of an argument that the elephant has rights too. This image visually shows a central idea of the article—that animal advocacy groups are filing lawsuits with the goal of protecting certain animals, such as Happy, the elephant at the Bronx Zoo, based on the argument that social, high-cognitive animals should be given certain rights.) 

• Based on the article, what rights do most of the legal cases filed on behalf of animals focus on? How does the lawsuit about Naruto’s selfie differ? Do you agree with the court’s ruling on who owns the selfie? Explain. (Summarize, compare & contrast)
  (Most lawsuits filed on behalf of animals focus on protecting their right to bodily liberty or bodily integrity, such as the right not be held in a cage. The lawsuit filed on behalf of Naruto was about who owned the copyright to a photograph and not about protecting him from harm. Students’ opinions will vary but should be well supported.)   

• What are some of the reasons some people argue in favor of giving animals rights? Do you find these arguments convincing? Explain. (Cause & effect, evaluate claims)
  (They argue that these animals should not be put in cages or experimented on because they are intelligent, social, and strongly connected to their families. Students’ assessments will vary but should be well supported.)

• What problems do some people say might arise if animals are given rights? Do you think these are valid points? And if so, do you then agree that animals should not be given rights? Or do you believe that though the points are valid, they are not strong enough to deny animals their rights? Explain.  (Problem & solution, evaluate claims)
  (Some people fear that if animals are given rights, then scientists will have to stop experimenting on animals, which would stall medical research that benefits humans. Some people also fear that other animals, such as pigs raised to be food, would be given rights, which could disrupt the food chain. Students’ evaluations of the validity of the points and their persuasiveness will vary, but students should present logical arguments.) 

• How might animals being given rights affect zoos? Support your ideas with evidence from the text. (Make inferences, cite text evidence)
  (If animals are given rights, zoos might be forced to transfer many of their animals to sanctuaries, just as a court in Argentina ruled that a chimpanzee at a zoo must be transferred and just as the group behind Happy’s lawsuit want her to be transferred. The loss of animals might make zoos less interesting to the public, and zoos could then lose revenue and maybe even have to shut down.) 

• What does the sidebar “Habeas Corpus, Explained” add to the article? (Integrate sources)
  (The first section of the article explains that a writ of habeas corpus is a legal course of action used to object to the wrongful imprisonment of a person. The sidebar adds to this by giving the history of habeas corpus and explaining the importance of this right to the Framers of the Constitution.)

6. Writing Prompt
Research and summarize the federal, state, and local laws that protect animals where you live. End your summary by stating whether you think the laws in your area are sufficient.

7. Video
What does the video about this topic add to your understanding of the article?

8. Classroom Debate
Form classroom teams to research and debate whether animals should have legal rights.

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess students’ comprehension and Be the Editor to review grammar skills.