ANIMAL RIGHTS: 

A ROHRBACH LIBRARY PATHFINDER

 

Prepared by Sylvia Pham

Reference Librarian, Rohrbach Library

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Animal Rights is a social movement.  It opposes the use of animals when they are forced to live in unnatural surroundings, are caused bodily injury, or needlessly killed.  The movement was born in the 1970's out of the animal protection movement (which supports the humane treatment of animals for food and research).  The basic premise of animal rights is that animals, like humans, experience pain, and that animals are all too often placed in situations that inflict pain, like laboratory experiments, traps for fur or sporting events.

 

The goal of animal rights activists is to provide legal protection for animals against inhumane treatment and to eradicate the status of animals as human property.  By elevating the status of animals to something above human property, they are ensured of the rights needed to protect them from human abuse.

 

The selected resources here can help one become more familiar with the subject of animal rights.  Included in this list are several web sites dealing with various animal rights issues.  The Internet offers a wealth of information.  Research done through a search engine such as Yahoo! Or Google can lead one to several different paths, simply by typing in "animal rights" as a keyword search term.

 

 

SELECT LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SUBJECT HEADINGS

 

            These subject headings and subsequent titles can be found in Quincy, Rohrbach Library’s online catalog.  These headings can be found doing a Library of Congress subject search using the words animal rights.

           

 

TEXTS

 

Animal Rights and Welfare.  Edited by Jeanne Williams, 1991.  William's book offers essays on the pros and cons of animal research.  Provides a bibliography and an additional list of periodicals with abstracts.

HV 4708 .A55 1991

 

Animal Rights: A Bibliography.  Compiled by Joan Nordquist, 1991.  This book offers readers a list of books, pamphlets, articles and organizations according to the various animal rights topics.

HV 4708 .N67 1991

 

Beyond Prejudice, the Moral Significance of Human and Nonhuman Animals.  By Evelyn Pluhar, 1995.  Presents to readers essays on both sides of the argument-those who support animal rights and those who do not.

HV 4708 .P67 1995

 

Animal Rights and Human Morality.  By Bernard Rollin, 1992.  Offers readers background information on the theories and arguments for animal rights.

HV 4708 R655 1992

 

Animal Sacrifices: Religious Perspectives On the Use of Animals in Science.  By Tom Regan, 1986.  Offers readers animal experimentation issues in science from the view of several world religions.

179.4 An54

 

Case for Animal Experimentation: An Evolutionary and Ethical Perspective.  By Michael Allen Fox, 1986.  This book presents arguments in support of animal experimentation.

179.4 F832c

 

Animal Rights Handbook: Everyday Ways to Save Animal Lives.  By Laura Fraser, 1990.  This book gives readers suggestions on what they can do on a personal, everyday level to combat animal abuse.

HV 4764 S68 1990.

 

Ethics into Action:  Henry Spira and the Animal Rights Movement.  By Peter Singer, 1988.

This book discusses the successful efforts of activist Henry Spira, an inspiration to those fighting for social causes.

HV 4764 .S69 S55 1998

 

In Defense of Animals.  By Peter Singer.  This book presents arguments in support of the Animal Liberation movement.

179.3 In3

 

Animals, Men and Morals.  Ed. by Stanley and Rosalind Godlovitch, 1972.  This book provides examples of how animals are treated in scientific experiments, on farms and how they are hunted and killed for  fur, food, etc.

179.3 G546a.

 

The Moral Status of Animals.  By Stephen R.L. Clark, 1977.  Presents theoretical arguments in support of the humane treatment of animals.

179.3 C549m.

 

Case for Animal Rights.  By Tom Regan, 1983.

HV 4708. R43 1983

 

Animal Liberation: a New Ethics for Our Treatment of Animals.  By Peter Singer, 1975.

HV 4708 S56

 

Morals, Reason, and Animals.  By S.F. Sapontzis, 1987.

HV 4708 S23 1987

 

All That Dwell Therein: Animal Rights and Environmental Ethics.  By Tom Regan, 1982.

179.3 R261a

 

Animal Liberators: Research and Mortality.  By Susan Sperling, 1988.

HV 4764 .S69 S55 1998

 

 

 

PERIODICAL DATABASES

 

The Rohrbach Library provides several full-text periodical databases, such as Ebscohost Academic Search Premier and Ebscohost Newspaper Source.  They contain many relevant articles on animal rights issues.  The library also has Webspirs indexing and abstracting for scholarly journals.  Both services are available via the library's homepage.  Please ask any reference librarian for assistance in using these sources. 

 

 

 

USEFUL WEBSITES

 

World Animal Net. 

This website is the official website for World Animal Net, a network of animal rights organizations throughout the world.  It provides information on the organization, current campaigns, published literature, contact numbers and links to the various societies involved in this network.

 

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

This is the organization's official website.  It provides information on adopting pets, pet care, animal shelter locations, membership, lobbying, and donations.  There is a "Voice Your Opinion" link in which users can send messages to state and federal officials about animal rights issues.

 

The Humane Society of the United States.

This group's website has a pull-down menu on various animal rights topics.  There is a daily news feature, information on current animal rights legislation, press releases, details about the organization itself, contact numbers, and steps on how to join the organization.

 

PETA- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

This group's official website has timely information on the group's latest campaigns, press releases, details on companies that conduct animal testing, and current examples of animal abuses around the world.  It also features articles from past issues of PETA's magazine, Animal Times.

 

Rutgers University School of Law, Animal Rights Center.

This website is put together by Rutgers law students who support animal rights.  It provides their argument for pro-animal legislation and their goals as an organization as well as other legal information in the animal rights debate.

 

Lehigh County Humane Society.

The website features such information as the group's mission, the work that they do, and the services they provide.  There is a section on pet care, adoption rules, and successful adoption stories.

 

 

 

PERIODICAL TEXTS

 

Animals Agenda.  Published by the Animal Rights Network, a non-profit organization.  This publication provides in-depth information on various animas abuses, particularly those performed under scientific research.

 

 

 

VIDEOS

 

The following list of videos available at the AV Center deal with animal rights issues.  Many are produced in conjunction with the animal rights group PETA.

 

Animal Rights: the issues, the movement.  1982.

#4738

 

Animals film.  1981.

#4740

 

Down on the Farm.  1979.

#4744

 

Health with Humanity.  1990.

#4742

 

Other Side of the Fence.  1988.

#4743

 

Products of Pain.  1986.

#4748

 

Progress Without Pain.  1984.

#4746

 

Sentenced for Life: Chickens' Lib questions the legality of the battery system for laying hens.  1990.

#4739

 

Voice in the wilderness.  1986.

#4749

 

We are all Noah.  1986.

#4741

 

What Price Beauty?  1980.

#4747                                                                                     

 

 

 

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