Ludwig
December 4th, 2013, 12:55 PM
Bizarre:
Several captive chimpanzees in New York may soon have their day in court to determine whether they're legally considered persons.
But wait until you see what other bizarre things are granted personhood by some governments.
India’s Parliament has declared dolphins (and other Cetaceans, such as Whales) legal persons with a right to life and liberty.
In 2007, the Balearic Islands (an autonomous community of Spain) granted legal personhood to Great Apes. The following year, the Spanish Parliament approved “human rights for apes,” declaring their right to life and freedom.
The third largest river in New Zealand was declared a legal person by the Crown in September 2012. After one of the longest court cases in national history, the river was granted the status of an integrated, living whole, complete with rights and interests enforceable by law.
In 2008, Ecuador granted the nation’s tropical forests, islands, rivers, and air something usually reserved for humans: legal personhood. The law states: “Natural communities and ecosystems possess the unalienable right to exist, flourish and evolve within Ecuador. Those rights shall be self-executing, and it shall be the duty and right of all Ecuadorian governments, communities, and individuals to enforce those rights.”
Since at least 1886, corporations have been granted legal personhood in the United States of America as a result of the Supreme Court’s famous Santa Clara v. Southern Pacific Railroad, Inc. decision.
Shameful:
Whether you think animals, the environment, or corporations should be considered persons or not, one thing should be clear: at least all human beings are persons. Science tells us that babies in the womb are living human beings from the moment of fertilization. Shouldn’t the law reflect that?
Several captive chimpanzees in New York may soon have their day in court to determine whether they're legally considered persons.
But wait until you see what other bizarre things are granted personhood by some governments.
India’s Parliament has declared dolphins (and other Cetaceans, such as Whales) legal persons with a right to life and liberty.
In 2007, the Balearic Islands (an autonomous community of Spain) granted legal personhood to Great Apes. The following year, the Spanish Parliament approved “human rights for apes,” declaring their right to life and freedom.
The third largest river in New Zealand was declared a legal person by the Crown in September 2012. After one of the longest court cases in national history, the river was granted the status of an integrated, living whole, complete with rights and interests enforceable by law.
In 2008, Ecuador granted the nation’s tropical forests, islands, rivers, and air something usually reserved for humans: legal personhood. The law states: “Natural communities and ecosystems possess the unalienable right to exist, flourish and evolve within Ecuador. Those rights shall be self-executing, and it shall be the duty and right of all Ecuadorian governments, communities, and individuals to enforce those rights.”
Since at least 1886, corporations have been granted legal personhood in the United States of America as a result of the Supreme Court’s famous Santa Clara v. Southern Pacific Railroad, Inc. decision.
Shameful:
Whether you think animals, the environment, or corporations should be considered persons or not, one thing should be clear: at least all human beings are persons. Science tells us that babies in the womb are living human beings from the moment of fertilization. Shouldn’t the law reflect that?