Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 8-23-2012 12:00 AM The History of Animal Welfare Law and the Future of Animal Rights Marie Blosh The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Margaret Martin The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Law © Marie Blosh 2012 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Animal Law Commons Recommended Citation Blosh, Marie, "The History of Animal Welfare Law and the Future of Animal Rights" (2012). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 803. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/803 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE HISTORY OF ANIMAL WELFARE LAW AND THE FUTURE OF ANIMAL RIGHTS (HISTORY OF ANIMAL WELFARE LAW & FUTURE OF ANIMAL RIGHTS) (Thesis format: Monograph) by Marie Blosh Graduate Program in Law A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of LL.M. (Master of Law) The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Marie Blosh 2012 i THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION Supervisor Examiners ______________________________ ______________________________ Dr. Margaret Martin Prof. Thomas Telfer ______________________________ Prof. Mohamed Khimji ______________________________ Dr. Evelyn McKechnie The thesis by Marie Blosh entitled: THE HISTORY OF ANIMAL WELFARE LAW AND THE FUTURE OF ANIMAL RIGHTS is accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of LL.M. (Master of Law) ______________________ _______________________________ Date Chair of the Thesis Examination Board ii Abstract Animals were included within the protection of the law in the early nineteenth century. Why have there been so few advances since then? Discussion about this question tends to focus on the moral and legal status of animals. That is undoubtedly an important issue, but it stems from a tradition that looks for the singular trait that distinguishes humans from all other animals. This thesis uses an historical approach to explore the tension between the humane impulse to alleviate animal suffering and the sense of human superiority that permits animal exploitation. The conclusion is that animal rights theory could build on the precedent set by the anti-cruelty laws if legal rights for animals are used as a shield to protect animals from the excesses of property rights rather than as a way to elevate animals out of their status as property. Keywords Animal Law and Jurisprudence, Animal Rights, Animal Welfare Law History, Anti- Cruelty to Animals Law iii Acknowledgments This thesis has been a long time in the making. My thoughts on animals and the law have emerged only after many years of reading and contemplating the relationship between humans and animals. I expect they will continue to develop, but the requirements of a thesis include reaching a conclusion, and at this moment in time my ideas are as set as they can be. I am indebted to my advisor Dr. Margaret Martin. Without her patience and encouragement I would have abandoned this project and I thank her from the bottom of my heart for having faith in me. Her comments and advice improved my work immeasurably. Professor Tom Telfer also took the time to make suggestions that helped me move the thesis forward. Dr. Margaret Ann Wilkinson offered much needed guidance on the researching and writing of a thesis. I dropped out of an earlier attempt at an LL.M. and am grateful to Anne Dyer-Witheford for convincing me to try again. My return for a second chance was facilitated by the former dean of the law school, Dean Ian Holloway, and I thank him for his efforts. My utmost thanks go out to my husband, Dr. Samuel Trosow, for sharing his interest in jurisprudence and encouraging me to pursue my interest in animal law. Finally, I would be remiss in not extending appreciation to animals as well as humans. Thank you to the cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens, pigs, horses, cows, and all those animals “that are not cattle” who shared their lives with me and inspired me. iv Table of Contents CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION ........................................................................... ii Abstract..............................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents................................................................................................................ v Introduction......................................................................................................................... 1 Part I: The Historical Background Chapter 1 Animals and the Pre-Nineteenth Century Law ................................................. 9 1.1 The Superiority of Humans ............................................................................. 9 1.2 The Moral View of Cruelty to Animals......................................................... 14 1.3 The Legal View of Cruelty to Animals ......................................................... 16 Chapter 2 Nineteenth Century Reforms .......................................................................... 21 2.1 The Importance of Utilitarian Theory............................................................ 21 2.2 The Bull-Baiting Bills.................................................................................... 25 2.3 The 1809 Animal Protection Bill................................................................... 28 2.4 Martin’s Act of 1822 ..................................................................................... 33 2.5 The Canadian Law on Cruelty to Animals .................................................... 36 2.6 Summary and Conclusion of Part I................................................................ 39 Part II: Current Issues Chapter 3 The Problem with “Necessary” Animal Suffering.......................................... 41 3.1 The Proportionality Test................................................................................ 41 3.2 The Ménard Test............................................................................................ 46 Chapter 4 The Problem of Animals as “Property”........................................................... 52 4.1 The Legal Status of Animals as Property ...................................................... 52 v 4.2 Is Property Status the Key Issue? .................................................................. 54 4.3 Case Study 1: Seaworld v Marineland .......................................................... 59 4.4 Case Study 2: Reece v Edmonton ................................................................. 62 4.5 Summary and Conclusion of Part II .............................................................. 68 Part III: Looking Forward Chapter 5 Challenging the Moral Orthodoxy .................................................................. 70 5.1 Revisiting Kant’s Theory............................................................................... 70 5.2 “Equal Consideration” in Utilitarian Theory................................................. 72 5.3 Case Study 3: Noah v The Attorney General ................................................ 81 5.4 Animal Rights Theory ................................................................................... 85 Chapter 6 Proposals for Legal Reform ............................................................................ 95 6.1 The Canadian Experience.............................................................................. 95 6.2 Legal Rights for Animals............................................................................. 104 6.3 The Legacy of Nineteenth Century Reforms............................................... 108 6.4 Summary and Conclusion of Part III........................................................... 110 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 112 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 114 Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................................ 120 vi Introduction The aim of this thesis is to explore the philosophical underpinnings of our legal relationship with other members of the animal kingdom in an historical context.1 The idea that the human-animal relationship raises moral concerns is ancient. But how have these moral standards been translated in law? And how have ethical concerns about animals changed the law over time? These questions are of more than historical interest. The best way to understand contemporary Canadian law about animals is to appreciate its origins. Animal protection law in Canada has remained remarkably stagnant, although some might describe it as stable, for two hundred years. The statutory offence of cruelty to animals has changed very little since it was first enacted in England in response to the great humane movements of the nineteenth century. But the creation