HSUS Backs PETA’s “Personhood” for Animals Ploy

It’s events like the recent 2017 Animal Rights National Conference in Alexandria, Va., where like-minded anti-hunting, animal rights extremist groups such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reveal their real radical agenda—and it’s far from what their compassionate-sounding names imply.

A recent video posted on HumaneWatch.org shows Paul Shapiro, HSUS vice president of policy, expressing the organization’s support for PETA’s efforts in obtaining legal “personhood” for animals. For example, when asked what would happen to the animals in the Ringling Brothers circus, which recently closed after years of battling HSUS, PETA and other extremist groups, Shapiro stated that he wished they all were going to sanctuaries. He acknowledged that the animals are currently considered property under the law but immediately followed up with, “Talk to Jeff Kerr in the back, general counsel for PETA. He’s working to change just that very fact. …”

The “fact” that Shapiro was referring to was PETA’s legal efforts toward seeking “personhood” for animals, with Kerr helping to lead PETA’s charge. Most recently, as reported by numerous media sources including NRAHLF.org, Kerr was front and center in a lawsuit aimed at granting an Indonesian crested macaque the copyright to its viral “monkey selfie” images, which would have made the animal a person as a matter of law.

But what exactly would obtaining legal “personhood” for animals mean?

According to HumaneWatch.org, “Giving legal ‘personhood’ to animals would allow PETA, HSUS and other zealots to sue ‘on behalf of’ these animals in court. … It would allow them to easily sue any zoo, aquarium, farmer, rancher or perhaps even a pet owner they want to target.” While it sounds ridiculous to those of us driven by common sense, it would put these extremist groups one step closer toward achieving their goal of exterminating hunting and creating a meatless, petless society.

As if that weren’t enough extremist views for one animal rights conference, Lauren Gazzola—one of the conference’s keynote speakers—spent 40 months in prison after being convicted of “animal enterprise terrorism” in 2006. During her 20-minute “Call to Action” speech to rally the crowd, Gazzola discussed why she felt she was chosen as a top speaker. “I think it’s because we want to see people who have been knocked down due to their activism and have gotten back up and kept fighting,” she said. “We want to hear from people who are bloodied but not unbowed.” Come again? But this is the platform such extremists push.

NRA Fights to Save Hunting's Future
These types of animal rights gatherings showcase the lengths to which the anti-hunting, animal rights extremist groups will go to implement their agenda. Whether it is PETA, HSUS or any other radical group, it is more important than ever to do our part to expose them. This is why the NRA continues to go on offense to save the future of hunting and wildlife conservation. For details on its efforts via the NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum (HLF) and the recently-launched NRA Hunting campaign, click here.

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