Primates with human rights?

Question

Why do we not give higher primates, like chimps, apes etc, human rights. They are very closely related to us and its said, more intelligent than a human baby, yet we do not assign them the same rights as we do the human baby, why is this?

Answer 1

In as much as it would be really nice to give chimps human rights, it won't and will never work. To go that far would mean you would need to go further and say why not other monkeys who are closely related to chimps?

I do agree that we should give MORE rights to animals, to ALL animals, because all animals have a specific role in nature and a role in our very survival, and contributed to our evolution.  

Answer 2

There are advocates of rights for apes, but it makes no sense to give them HUMAN rights, as they aren't human.

(BTW, 'ape' is the broader category, which includes chimps, gorillas, and us.)

If you read, for instance, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, they don't make sense when applied to other species. Education, voting rights, paid vacations -- these aren't things that apply to chimps. I chimps can't grasp what voting means, and therefore (like a human baby) can't vote -- it's not a matter of rights, but what that critter is capable of.

But they should have the right to live and "self-determination" (in a sense).

Answer 3

what rights do you want them to have? birth certificate? passport? citizenship? tbh babies dont have many rights either they are at the mercy of their parents.  

Answer 4

Dolphins are intelligent and so are elephants highly intelligent but I wouldn't want to be shopping in the same supermarkets as them !!! they are wildlife there is a place in the world for them the same as there is for us !

Answer 5

we should respect all living things regardless of what we believe their intelligence level to be

Answer 6

I should imagine it has something to do with the fact that they are primates and not humans.

Now, are you suggesting that we bring in Primate Rights?

The European Parliament would have a field day!  Especially since there are very few primates that naturally occur in Europe! Or does that become politically incorrect and racist against primates not of European origin?

And, while you say that you have heard that they are more intelligent than a human baby, are you talking about human baby and primate baby or human baby and primate adult?  Or does that become politically incorrect with regards to ageism laws?

And, as a previous respondent has sagaciously mentioned, what sort of rights were you thinking of giving them?  Passport? Citizenship? Welfare Benefits?  Minimum Wage?

I think that with the information given by your respondents, you should be able to work it out for yourself, now.

Answer 7

Because they are chimps.... not humans!

Anyhow if we brought up a chimp baby with us humans it would probably learn some of our language.... But this is not allowed.

Answer 8

If you are part monkey you should be void of human rights yet to be human is an insult to all other life on this planet. Just by using THIS medium we are consigning other entities to death. WE are as closely related to primates as we are Orchids. Why give the primate a special place over other life?

Just because an entity is inteligent does not mean that it is usefull or of benefit to anything else(see Government). Like us, primates are a wasted space, and an insult to all other life on this planet.

Answer 9

Most likely since most human rights are only relevant to human society, i.e. right to marry, right to education up to a certain level, right to believe in whatever religious beliefs. Same with Dolphins, also said to be intelligent but wouldn't benefit from those rights.

If nothing else as well, most human rights are violated at some point or other anyway for humans, often using another law to do so. Babies themselves are generally so unaware that they don't get any rights beyond being protected from abuse and murder.

Answer 10

There's a lot going on in that question. But I guess the last part "we don't assign them the same rights as we do the human baby" is your main concern. PETA, ASPCA, etc are basically like child protective services for animals. Child protective services wasn't always around, people had to campaign and fight for children's rights. In the same way animals haven't always had certain rights. But yeah, the way you asked the question leaves people wondering what rights higher primates need...because they can't really tell us themselves.