by Peter Wilson

About the author: Peter Wilson is a graduate student at Cornell University. He writes for AnimaLife, a publication of the Cornell Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The following viewpoint is excerpted from a speech given to the Cortland Rotary Club on April 8, 1997.

Despite the negative hype in the media portraying the animal rights movement as the lunatic fringe, and efforts by some to discredit the movement by claiming it is composed of fanatical terrorists, most Americans support the basic idea behind animal rights. According to a 1995 survey commissioned by the Associated Press, two-thirds of Americans agree with the statement, “An animal’s right to live free of suffering should be just as important as a person’s.” This overwhelming public support shouldn’t come as a...