California Voters Say Yes to Animal Rights
by Alex Smith, San Francisco, California on 11. 5.08
Photo Credit: SF Gate
Prop 2 Headed to Victory
Yesterday, California voters appeared to vote overwhelmingly in favor of Proposition 2, a historic move that brings animals legal rights in the land of factory farming. Prop 2 guarantees farm animals improvements in their current large scale farm conditions, requiring farmers give them space to turn around, spread their wings, stand up and lie down. More below the fold.
While these are only slight moves to better the well being of farm animals, the Prop 2 victory is historic. California is the largest agricultural state and would be the first to demand egg-producing chickens be kept in more spacious cages or have the freedom to roam. Prop 2 will affect 20 million farm animals in California and will include a phase out of gestation crates for pigs and veal cages for calves. Similar laws have been passed in Florida, Arizona, Colorado and Oregon for pigs and veal calves.
As results come in from the polls, it looks like Prop 2 is winning by a ratio of 3 to 2 and most animal rights organizations have already declared this precedent setting victory.
More on Factory Farming:
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In the Farm Bill, A Factory Farm Incentive
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Though my personal philosophy is more 'Diet for a Small Planet', i.e. supporting consumption of less animal products based on their need of high environmental resource to produce, I voted yes on Prop 2 just because of common sense. I am not a vegan nor a major animal rights activist. But there is too too much we don't know about animal (or plant for that matter) cognitive processes. Give 'em the benefit of the doubt.
This is great news for farm animals - not only in California, but in other parts of the nation as other states will likely follow suit with similar new laws. Because there are no federal standards, this was especially important to get the proposed law passed.
Well done to the folks of CA! You continue to show the rest of the US and the world for that matter that both the environment and the lives of our companions deserve respect.
This I hope will be an incentive for other states and countries to follow. Well done again to the people of California.
i couldn't be more happy! thank god for everyone who voted yes on this propositon i think to vote yes is only common sense
Up in arms about prop 2 protect animals, but take away human rights with prop 8.
Amazing.
so glad this one passed! =)
Enjoy another economic burden for doing business in California. This will cause another industry to move elsewhere & take jobs with it. I suppose the chickens will be happier in Mexico where there will be much less control & regulation.
I can't believe this is a priority in this current environment. I would think there are much more serious problems & issues to solve other than making sure chickens have more leg room.
What's next, subsidized health care for emu's?
I voted YES :)
Well... seems like Prop 2 yea, Prop 8 nay... hummm some animals have more rights than humans...
This is such an exciting win for the animals!
Some people are saying that they are angry that Prop 2 passed while Prop 8 didn't.
I put this down to probably the fact that people probably just voted YES on all and didn't really read the text.
So you all voted FOR more rights to animals and AGAINST basic rights to gay humans?
I'm so glad I moved away from California. Those folks are crazy.