The Rugby Vegan

I listened with mixed emotion to the Government’s new legislation against animal right’s protestors (making it illegal to protest outside peoples home’s). On the one hand I felt it right that one’s safety should not be put at risk. And yet on the other - I shimmered at the shear hypocrisy of the law and the cruelty it is shielding. As a father of a young child, I admit that her welfare would come first, regardless of the testing of the product. But that is not to say that I wouldn’t campaign vigorously against the very often needless use of animals in research and development. Indeed, the Dr Hadwyn Trust supports this feeling and proves that in a multitude of cases the wanton slaughter is unnecessary.

The media, jumping on the ‘humans’ are best bandwagon, has joined forces with the powers that be to provide instance after instance of personal stories where the quality of life of certain individuals has been jeopardised. Jeopardised? For have they been imprisoned against their will? Have they had to endure remorseless living conditions? Have they had to be the unwilling patient in an excruciating surgical exercise? I think not. But then it just goes to show just how selfish and bloody minded (literally) we are as a race. For we are constantly being told that we are the superior being. And that to act in an abhorrent fashion is to be nothing better than an animal?

Unfortunately, I think that is when we lose the argument. And it seems we make the reasons up to excuse our actions when it suits. For we are meant to be so civilised, when in fact we still torture, maim and kill creatures that are seen as not equal to us. However, what we seem to forget, is that without a biodiversity of people, plants, animals and insects - there would be no world at all. And incidently, if they really are saying that it acceptable to carry out such experiments on what are regarded as our ‘unequals’. Then where do we draw the line?