Animal Rights 101 - the Basics

Animal rights is the belief that animals have an intrinsic value separate from any value they have to humans, and are worthy of moral consideration. They have a right to be free of oppression, confinement, use and abuse by humans. Here's why.

Although animal rights and animal welfare frequently fall on the same side of an issue, there is a fundamental difference between the two ideologies: the right of humans to use animals.

The top animal rights news stories of 2009, from Travis the chimp to Bo the first dog, wolves to polar bears, and the U.S. Supreme Court to the European Union.

Below are eight of the most common arguments against animals rights, as well as responses to those arguments.

The top 10 animals rights issues, based on effects on animals, the numbers of animals affected, and the numbers of people involved.

Many consider veganism to be an exercise in self-denial and self-sacrifice, but it's not a sacrifice to give up something that wasn't ever rightfully yours.

This question is posed to animal rights activists at countless protests and outreach tables, but is based on a faulty assumption.

A number of myths stand in the way of the public’s understanding of animal rights. Below are a dozen of the most popular animal rights myths, along with some facts about animal right

The Year's Top Animal Rights Stories

This page is a basic introduction to the animal rights movement, including philophy, history and issues.

How many animals are killed for human use every year in the United States? The numbers are in the billions, and these are just the ones we know...

Veganism is the abstention from all animal products, such as meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey, gelatin, lanolin, wool, fur, silk, suede and leather.

What are welfarism and welfarists when it comes to animals, and what's wrong with welfarism?

Timeline of the modern animal rights movement, including major milestones, setbacks and accomplishments.

Racism should have no part in the animal protection movement, but since racism so thoroughly permeates our society, it does sometimes rear its ugly head. When is an animal protection campaign racist, and how can we avoid racism in animal rights campaigns?

A list of the most animal-friendly members of Congress in the November 2010 elections, including an explanation of how they were chosen.

Who are the least animal-friendly members of Congress up for re-election in November of 2010 in the mid-term elections?

Animal rights activists are frequently discredited as either hypocrites or extremists, but how accurate are those labels? Are all animal rights activists either hypocrites or extremists, and why do these labels keep popping up?

The Weirdest, Silliest, Most Bizarre, Most Clueless Animal Rights Comments

Where does President Barack Obama stand on animal rights issues, and what is his administration's animal rights record? This site will be updated continuously throughout Obama's administration.

What is speciesism, and why is it important?

For many people, choosing a gift for an ethical vegan can seem daunting – no wool sweaters, leather wallets or perfume from a company that tests on animals. This gift guide includes cruelty-free gifts for your favorite vegans and animal rights activists. You might even find something you want for yourself.

What is animal abuse, and how does it differ from animal cruelty?

This piece addresses certain presupposed "flaws" in human nature from a Christian perspective, and how those flaws keep humanity from acting in a moral manner toward non-human and human animals.

In 1983, Mitt Romney tied the family dog, Seamus the Irish Setter, to the roof of his car for a twelve-hour drive to Canada. After the dog suffered an attack of diarrhea, Romney hosed down his car and the dog, and kept driving with the dog on top of the car. What kind of person straps a dog to the roof of the car, keeps the dog there after he...

In the animal rights movement, what is a single issue campaign? Why are they controversial, and how are they different from vegan education?

Anthropocentrism, Rene Descartes and Immanuel Kant: How philosophical views of animals in the past continue to shape our views of animals and animal rights today. Part one of a four-part series on elephants in circuses.

Carmine, or cochineal, is a red coloring that comes from a beetle. Most vegans and vegetarians avoid products containing carmine.

Review of the documentary film 'Earthlings' on DVD. Two-thirds of the footage is undercover videos, taking the viewer to places where video cameras would probably never be allowed, including a circus elephant training facility, where an elephant trainer explains to a new employee how to dig the hook into an elephant’s flesh and twist it in order to teach the elephant to obey.

Review of the 2007 documentary film, Arctic Tale, from About.com's Guide to Documentaries.

Voting records as well as statements to the media and other actions, demonstrating the candidates' positions on animal issues such as horse slaughter, endangered species, hunting, and puppy mills.

Animal Liberation by Peter Singer is one of the seminal books in the modern animal rights movement.

In his book, The Case for Animal Rights, philosopher Tom Regan explains why animals have rights.

Professor Gary Francione, animal law professor at Rutgers University, advocates the abolition of animal exploitation.

This excellent essay by Karen Davis of United Poultry Concerns explains why animal rights activists do not need to apologize for the animals. If anything, we need to apologize to the animals.

This long-running annual conference alternates between Washington DC and Los Angeles, CA.