Yzabelle Bostyn
THE Spanish government has launched a public consultation on a law which would classify primates – including gorillas, orangutans, bonobos and chimpanzees – as humans.
It aims to define the species as having ‘human cognitive ability’ in an attempt to prevent experimental research on them.
The law would also ban their use for commercial purposes in order to aid conservation efforts.
They state humans and primates share ‘genetic closeness’ and have the ability for learning, communication and complex reasoning.
It follows last year’s Animal Welfare Act and a previous attempt to push the classification through parliament in 2006.
They have based their definition on Dr Joseph F Fletcher’s attributes of humanity as established in the 1970s.
Those behind the law also argued the Spanish government considers animals ‘sentient beings’ under a 1997 law.
“This decision, accepted by the entire scientific community, is of great importance as it puts these beings on the same level as our ancestors, homo erectus, homo habilis, australopithecus, etc,” says the proposed legislation.
And I thought the UK was WOKE .
Nobody wants to cause animals unnecessary suffering . However , precisely because primates are the closest animals to humans they are the most suitable animals on whom to try out life saving drugs . If an alternative can be found that’s fine but if not then we should not stop medical research , which can save or greatly ameliorate human life, on monkeys. Humans trump monkeys .
In any event the way to achieve the ends at which this putative legislation is directed is to simply to tighten medical research on apes. My guess is that it is very regulated already but there may be grounds for further restrictions .
What is ludicrous and wholly unnecessary is to re categorise apes as humans in the hope that this will strengthen the case for legislation. It will do no such thing. It will be seen for what it is , part of a campaign to wage war on traditional Spanish values. This is a government which would like to ban the corrida , expunge all references to Spain’s fascist past, legalise the position of 500,000 illegal immigrants many of whom have no real connection to Spain and abandon a western looking Israel. It is all part of the international WOKE package , adapted to Spain . It should be rejected . This is the planet of the humans not the planet of the apes