Animal Rights Movement

INFORMATIVE SPEECH OUTLINE TEMPLATE Topic: Animal rights movement Specific Purpose: To inform Thesis Statement: Animals can’t speak for themselves and fight to have some consideration for their lives, which is why animal rights were created in order to protect them from exploitation and suffering. I. Introduction A. Attention Getter: We all have pets. There is the saying, “a dog is a man’s best friend.” B. Reason to Listen: Animals can suffer the same way people do. The difference between animals and humans is that animals can’t speak for themselves. The reason why animal rights is so important is because without them they are free to be hunted down and tortured without having any restrictions. C. Thesis Statement: Animals can’t speak for themselves and fight to have some consideration for their lives, which is why animal rights were created in order to protect them from exploitation and suffering. D. Credibility Statement: For as long as I can remember, animals have always been part of my life growing up. When I was little my family owned turtles, fishes, birds, cats, and now dogs. E. Preview of Main Points: There wasn't always a PETA or any law that cared about protecting animal life. Consideration for animal life wasn’t even thought of until the 1600s. Although there is more consideration for animal life now compared to back then, many believe that animals rights are useless and as a result many misconceptions of animal rights have grown throughout the years about the movement and its organizations. II. Body A. Animal rights did not begin in the United States to many people’s surprise. 1. The origin of Animal Rights can traced back to Ireland where the first legislation act was passed in order to protect them. a. The “first known animal protection legislation” took place in Ireland in 1635. The purpose of the act was to stop the barbaric custom of “plowing by the tayle, and pulling the wool off living sheeps.” b. The plowing bt the tayle, and pulling the wool off living sheeps is what inspired the Animal Rights Movement to protect the lives of animals. 2. In the 19th Century, awareness of the animal cruelty gained public attention in the United States in 1866. a. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was “the first humane society to be established in North America.” It was was founded in 1866 “by New Yorker Henry Bergh.” b. This became a stepping stone in preventing animal cruelty in the U.S. because it was the first initiative that someone in the U.S. took to stop animal cruelty. Transition: Although the Animal rights movement was heading into a good direction, many believed that their methods were a bit extreme. B. There are many common misconceptions of animal right movements that the public may not be aware of. 1. A common misconception that many have about the animal rights movement is that they are extremist and that they want “nonhuman animals to have the same right as people.” a. One common misconception the public has about the animal rights movement is that they are extremist who make assumptions and place their opinions on things without having any evidence to back up their claim. b. This misconception is false because many organizations like PETA, for example, pride themselves in their undercover work and research that they make about any certain topic. For example, “Dan Paden, a Senior Research Associate for PETA, reported on an investigation that he himself worked on about what goes on ‘inside Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus that shows workers on video as they beat and whipped elephants dozens of times in venues across the country.” Paden and his team’s job is to compile footage and “prepare condensed versions of the video for the public to view and draft complaints to officials.” With these type of investigations, the animal rights movement have better chances of stopping more animal cruelty. 2. Another misconception that people have about animal rights movement is that they are violent. a. This misconception is not entirely true because most animal rights organizations lead peaceful protest to prevent anyone from getting arrested or hurt. For example, the Yulin festival became widely known, in 2015, for its controversial eating habits. Many animal rights activist traveled to northwestern China to help prevent the killing of the dogs. “Katie Hunt, a senior digital producer for CNN, reported that in 2015 dozens of activists and their pet dogs have descended on Yulin. Some [planned] to hand in a petition to the local authorities demanding an end to the killing of dogs for food.” b. Although some people think that animal rights movement are unable to lead peaceful protest, their actions to try to stop animal cruelty in China proved that they are capable of doing so by handing in petitions and not causing any violence. Transition: There are many organizations that help stop animal cruelty. C. There are many organizations, in the United States, that contribute to protect animal rights. The major ones are: PETA, Nonhuman Rights Project, and Last Chance for Animals. 1. PETA stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It tries to help end animal cruelty from industries. a. “The group euthanized 2,454 of its 3,369 cats, dogs and other animals” “at its Norfolk, Virginia, shelter in 2014 according to preliminary figures filed with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. (Greenwood)” b. PETA tries to find ways to protect animals from being used as lab rats in order stop animal suffering. 2. PETA has always advocated to stop animal experiment. a. As of February 2019, the owners of Herbal Essences announced a brand that has “never test on animals anywhere in the world (PETA)”. b. This is a stepping stone for the animal rights movement because animal experimentation is one the most popular form of animal cruelty that they haven't been able to stop. III. Conclusion: Review of Main Points: Although the Animal Rights Movement has improved since its initiation in the 1600s, some people are still not convinced that the work they are doing is useful and that their methods aren’t necessarily peaceful which has lead to many misconceptions about them. Important organizations like PETA, for example, does continue its work to stop animal cruelty despite its criticism. Restate Thesis: Animals can’t speak for themselves and fight to have some consideration for their lives, which is why animal rights were created in order to protect them from exploitation and suffering. Closure: Our pets are our best friends, so trying to learn more about what we can do to protect our best friends will help them in the long run.