Perspectives on Abolition

In the articles linked to in the previous post, Gary Francione suggests that attempts at reforming and regulating animal industries are counterproductive and detrimental to animal rights. To share some alternate perspectives and maybe plant the seeds for discussion, here are a couple articles that present differing views on the value of incremental welfare reforms. First, here's an essay by Matt Ball of Vegan Outreach entitled “Welfare and Liberation: Mutually Exclusive?” Drawing lessons from the historical trajectory of the civil rights movement and other social justice causes, he contends that compromise and cooperation are essential ingredients for change in the animal rights movement. And here is a recent blog entry by Mark Hawthorne (the author of Striking At The Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism) entitled “Are Animal Advocates Sleeping with the Enemy?” To get at the question of how aligned animal welfare efforts really are with industry interests, he surveys some recent agribusiness responses to Proposition 2, straight out of industry trade publications. Interesting stuff.