Knesset: Animals don't have legal rights
MKs reject bill proposing name change for Animal Welfare Law, saying animals are like inanimate entities.
By Jonathan Lis Tags: Israel newsThe Knesset rejected a bill to change the name of the Animal Welfare Law to the Animal Rights Law, since Israeli law does not recognize animals as legal entities with rights, according to coalition members.
"The proposed law is based on the unacceptable premise that animals have rights," Religious Services Minister Yaakov Margi (Shas) told the Knesset.
Margi said the government believes animals have the same legal status as inanimate entities such as corporations, ships, universities and cities.
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin showed great interest in the debate, being a dog owner.
"I do not know what I would do to a person who killed my Stephan," he said during Margi's speech.
Later, Rivlin described his strong convictions regarding animals.
"I do not eat meat, I am a vegetarian for ethical reasons. My dog was taken to a kennel since he bit someone, or someone thought he had bit them. The kennel was next to a slaughterhouse. When I saw how they were slaughtering animals, I became a vegetarian. That was more than 40 years ago," said Rivlin.
MK Yoel Hasson (Kadima) proposed the bill, and said he realized the coalition would reject it. He attempted to push through a less significant change, without the term "animal rights," but that was rejected as well.
He promised to try again to get the bill passed in six months.
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any living creature on earth has legal rights.
I don't think the tora says animals have the same rights as inmaterial things...but anyway the should have rights, whatever the tora or Shas says. Keep trying...
If the remarks attributed to Minister Margi are correct then the Minister and Shas are both hypocrites. Even in the Torah animals are explicitly given rights. Clear references are given to beasts of burden that must not be denied the right to eat from the fields that they are working. They have the right to rest on Shabat. And to emphasize the point, it is written that it is forbidden to eat the blood of animals for the life "neshema [spirit of G-d]" rests in the blood. To deny that animals have the right to life and humane treatment would be like denying that G-d has those rights. The religious are supposed to love the land and the work of G-d. The day that happens is the day that I will begin to believe that the Messiah will come.
I agree with the lawmakers in this regard.although I love my dog probably more than common sense tells me to. For if the animal welfare league did their job the present law would be ok .BUT it is the failing of punishing individuals for their ill treatment of any animal that makes people want to give them rights. The left loonies in this area would disagree with me and want the animals to have the same rights as man. In America a little fish has stopped the irrigation water to a whole valley.Thanks to it being given rights. The valley which was made up of farms is now a dustbowl. Give the loonies aninch and they take a mile.