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2 J. Animal L. & Ethics 255 (2007)
Sterilization in an Animal Rights Paradigm

handle is hein.journals/janilet2 and id is 257 raw text is: STERILIZATION IN AN ANIMAL RIGHTS PARADIGM LEILA FUSFELD* INTRODUCTION Many advocates for animals seek to establish a right to bodily integrity for animals. Yet at the same time, there is widespread agreement among both animal rights and animal-welfare proponents that animals used for companionship should be sterilized. Sterilization necessarily involves at least some violation of animals' bodily integrity, creating what appears to be a contradiction within the animal rights movement. However, true animal rights proponents should seek to abolish animal enslavement entirely. Within the animal rights movement there is some desire to prevent those abuses that invade animals' bodily integrity, but the fundamental right sought is freedom from enslavement for any human use. Thus the right to bodily integrity must give way to the right to be free from enslavement where sterilization is a necessary component of the eradication of animal slavery. In Part I of this Article, I explain the right to bodily integrity as an important right viewed by some scholars and advocates as necessary to combat human abuses of animals. In Part II, I define the broader problem of human enslavement of animals to exist as long as humans keep any kind of domestic animal for human use or enjoyment. Though sterilization alone is not the sole solution to the problem of human enslavement of animals, I discuss it in Part III as a necessary component to the solution. In Part IV, I discuss the infringement on bodily integrity that necessarily comes with sterilization. Finally, in Part V, I conclude that the right to bodily integrity must give way when the more fundamental right to freedom from enslavement is at stake. (255) * J.D. 2006, University of Pennsylvania School of Law. The author is currently an attorney at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP in Philadelphia, PA. The author wishes to thank Professor Gary Francione and Jeff Perz for their suggestions.

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