Spain to Grant Rights to Apes
Albert Mohler
Posted: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 The

liberal government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is moving to grant certain "rights" to apes. These rights are to include recognition as part of a "community of equals" with humans, according to press reports.

This is a ludicrous proposal, based in the Great Apes Project sponsired by Peter Singer and Paola Cavalieri. Singer, a professor at Princeton University, is infamous for arguing that the lives of some animals are more important and worthy of protection than the lives of some humans, including the mentally impaired and the elderly.

The ridiculous character of the proposal is the notion of a community of equals. The Spanish Parliament includes no apes as members. They are not equals. I would wager that if any of these legislators had to choose between the life of his child and the life of an ape, the decision would be easy. The ape is not a human. the rest