Why Vegan? – Ethics

Reason #1 to be Vegan – Ethics

I consider it very important to live an ethical life.  So I try to apply ethical considerations to all parts of my life, including the food that I eat.  And I love animals.  All animals.  Not just the furry friends that share my home.  I believe in the worth and dignity of every being, including both humans and animals.  I actively promote compassion toward animals because I believe that there is plenty of compassion to go around.  It’s not a zero sum game.  I believe that we can extend compassion toward marginalized people and simultaneously include animals in our circle of compassion.  I would not be willing to personally kill an animal for food.  So I am not going to ask someone else to do it on my behalf.  That is why I have chosen ethical veganism.

9 Billion Animals per Year

It’s a sad fact that at least 9 billion land animals are slaughtered for food in the U.S. each year.  These animals include cows, chickens, turkeys, pigs, sheep, goats, fish, etc.  The majority of these animals suffer in conditions that consumers would not accept if they could see them.  Over 99% of farm animals in the U.S. are raised in factory farms, which focus on profit and efficiency at the expense of animal welfare. Factory farming forces cows to stand in milking tie stalls all day, pigs to live in gestation crates, and chickens to share small battery cages with up to a half a dozen birds. These animals don’t have places to walk, root around, flap wings or live natural lives.  And then they go to slaughter, which is not a happy experience for them.  Linda McCartney is quoted as saying that “if slaughterhouses had glass walls, the whole world would be vegetarian.”

As for me, I first realized the ethical reasons for a plant-based diet many years ago, when I saw a fully-loaded chicken truck hauling hens to the slaughterhouse.  The hens were packed in so tightly that they couldn’t possibly move, and I can only imagine the fear that they experienced.

Sentience of Animals

Recent research shows that animals are self aware and can be considered sentient.  They experience a wide range of emotions, and they can suffer and feel pain.   In 2015, the New Zealand Parliament unanimously passed the Animal Welfare Amendment Act (No. 2) 2015, which specifically recognizes animals as sentient.   The Act passed in New Zealand stipulates that owners must “attend properly to the welfare of those animals.”

More recently, news articles have reported on the sentience of fish.  And our society is taking note of this information.  I see many positive developments, including the retirement of elephants from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and Sea World’s decision to stop breeding orcas.

Meat Consumption is Declining

Yet more than 90% of Americans still eat a meat-rich diet, so there is much room for progress.  Happily, though, meat consumption has been steadily dropping in the U.S.  An article posted in 2015 revealed that red meat consumption had fallen by 15% in the preceding decade.  Much of that decrease was caused by people who do not consider themselves to be vegetarian or vegan, but who were responding to reports about health risks involved with eating meat.  This decline has made a big difference for the animals.  According to the Humane Society of the U.S., the number of land animals slaughtered for food annually dropped from a high of 9.5 billion in 2007 & 2008 to 9.1 billion in 2014.  That’s 400 million animals who did not live in cramped cages and then die at slaughter.  That’s a move in the right direction.

How Many Animals are Saved?

Choosing a vegetarian or vegan diet makes a real difference for the animals.  If you include seafood as well as land animals, calculators that are available on the web indicate that a vegetarian saves about 200 animals per year, and a vegan saves about one animal per day.  If you love animals, that’s a strong case for ethical veganism.