Should Animals Have Political Rights?

All political communities must make decisions about how to regulate the treatment of animals. Most states currently protect animals through outlawing the infliction of ‘unnecessary suffering’. But do animals’ rights end there?

In this book, Alasdair Cochrane argues that states must go much further. Animals have rights to be protected not only from the cruelty of individuals, but also from those structures and institutions which routinely (and, in some cases, necessarily) cause them harm, such as industrialised animal agriculture. But even that isn’t adequate. In order to ensure that their interests are taken seriously, it is imperative that we represent their interests throughout the political process – they require not only rights to protection, but also to democratic membership.

Cochrane’s important intervention in this controversial debate will be essential reading for anyone interested in the intersection of political theory and animal rights.Alle politischen Gemeinschaften müssen Entscheidungen über die Behandlung von Tieren treffen. Viele Staaten schützen Tiere durch Gesetze vor unnötigem Leid. Aber enden damit auch die Rechte von Tieren? Acknowledgements

1. Introduction

2. Animal Welfare Legislation

3. Constitutional Provisions

4. Legal Personhood

5. Membership

6. Democratic Representation

7. Conclusion: Political Rights for Animals

‘Clear, concise, comprehensive and packed with information, arguments and case studies, this book is the best resource that currently exists for anyone interested in learning about the legal and political status of animals.’
Jeff Sebo, New York University

‘Convincingly argued and engagingly written, Cochrane shows us how the interests of non-human animals ought to be politically protected, advanced and represented in a just society.’
Steve Cooke, University of Leicester

Alasdair Cochrane is Senior Lecturer in Political Theory at the University of Sheffield