From Deacon Tony de Freitas PhD, Durban
I refer to your article “Speaker: animals, plants have rights” (June 3). This is a much-debated topic among many environmentalist and animal lovers.
I am a biologist and have worked with animals all my life. One of the speakers at the eco-justice evening hosted by the Edmund Rice Network claims that man does not “hold dominion over other forms of life.” This, of course, goes against scripture (Gen 1:27-31).
Here is the problem; man does have dominion over the created universe, but this places firmly on his shoulders the responsibility to be a good steward of creation.
We have the God-given right to use animals, plants and the environment, but we also have the God-given instruction to be responsible users and not abusers.
We have not been good at this at all; in fact we have been very selfish and greedy and have not done what God asked of us: “All I’ve created is yours to use but you must look after it very well.”
That animals and plants have rights is also a badly thought-out idea. We all know, or should know, that with every right there is a corresponding responsibility. If animals have rights, what are their responsibilities?
Further, if all animals have the right to exist — that is, the right to life — what is our stance regarding pests like cockroaches, fleas and so on. Or are we being selective? All means all, not only those animals we can relate to.
The issue is that we, as humans, have not been good stewards of God’s creation. The challenge is how to change man’s greed and teach him to think of his responsibility to protect God’s creation.
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