Should Apes and Humans have the same rights?

[AB Asks]

Apes should have the same rights as humans. At least this is what organisation The Great Ape Project is claiming. What with a lady in Austria trying to adopt one, and so have the same rights as a child, these claims seem to have growing support. Ape DNA differs by only about 1% from humans and so are the closest animals to us. However does this similarity justify giving them similar rights? Do you think that apes should get similar treatment to humans?

[Octavius]

The general norms of human decency are heavily influenced by the consequences of behaviour. Rights exist only within a social context to provide tangible consequences. Now an ape could deny the social context and revert back to a state of nature but this would lead to anarchy in human situations (Lord of the Flies etc.) Where would we be if an ape were to take its Ape Benefit Allowance and place it up its bum for instance? This hasn�t really been thought through.

Until elephants get the right to a minimum wage rather than being paid peanuts I will probably not be in favour of equality in nature.

[chakka35]

Humans are apes. Start from there.

[jenstar]

Do you think there's a similar debate going on in ape society about whether ape rights should be extended to humans?

[WendyS]

Yes I do think they should have largely similar rights to humans as far as their welfare, wellbeing and environment is concerned. They are so similar to us and experience all the same emotions that I really feel it belittles us as human beings to treat them like some lesser order. Besides, there are far fewer of them than us so every one of them is precious. Some species are already bordering on extinction. We cannot afford to lose any of them.

[IggyB]

well what a stupid suggestion - will the "owners" / adoptive mothers and fathers be taken to court if their ape child doesn't go to school, will they be able to take the ape to the docs for its jabs, if it screeches at night will the police give it an asbo?

i think this organisation has done itself a disservice by opening itself up to to justified ridicule instead of concentrating on protecting apes - which doesn't require attempted to convince us they are human instead it should be convincing the populatiuon that apes are an endangered animal that requires our support to protect their habitats.

[IggyB]

a mouses dna is only 15% different to our own...