Andrew Fenton's Advocacy Page
A site dedicated to philosophy and animal rights (broadly construed to include humans)

Welcome. Have a good look around and follow the links. Through my growing philosophical and personal interest in animal advocacy, and in those who fight to better the lives of uncounted nonhumans, I have encountered a number of groups or individuals who deserve special recognition. Below I feature the Fauna Foundation and CEPE,both of whom are especially important to me. For those of you willing and able to help others in need, whether they are human or not, I draw your attention to the 'Action Alerts' section below. To those who are not new to this site: I continue to update as many sections as I can. Please take the time to make sure you are aware of the various campaigns, projects, or concerns listed on this page. Also, check the maintenance date at the bottom of this page to ensure that the action alerts are current. Sorry for my long absence ... I'm back!!


Next to the ridicule of denying an evident truth, is that of taking much pains to defend it; and no truth appears to me more evident, than that beasts are endow'd with thought and reason as well as men. The arguments are in this case so obvious, that they never escape the most stupid and ignorant. ...
The common defect of those systems, which philosophers have employ’d to account for the actions of the mind, is, that they suppose such a subtility and refinement of thought, as not only exceeds the capacity of mere animals, but even of children and the common people in our own species; who are not withstanding susceptible of the same emotions and affections as persons of the most accomplish’d genius and understanding. Such a subtility is a clear proof of the falsehood, as the contrary simplicity of the truth, of any system.
l *(David Hume. 1739/1984. ATreatise on Human Nature.* London: Penguin Books, 226, 227)**


How should we relate to beings who look into mirrors and see themselves as individuals,who mourn companions and may die of grief, who have a consciousness of"self"? Don't they deserve to be treated with the same sort of consideration we accord to other highly sensitive, conscious beings - ourselves? For ethical reasons, we no longer perform certain experiments on humans;I suggest that it would only be logical to refrain from doing those experiments on chimpanzees too.
l *Jane Goodall. 1999. (From an essay found in) Brutal Kinship. A collaborative effort by Michael Nichols and Jane Goodall. New York: Aperture Foundation,71,74)*


The FaunaFoundation
Please take the time to visit the site for The Fauna Foundation. This Foundation cares for, among other animals, a number of ex-biomedical chimpanzees in Carignan, Quebec. Regardless of where we stand on the moral permissibility or impermissibility of nonhuman animal research, we ought not ignore, dismiss or forget the cost of this research on animals who are sentient, even sapient. Please take the time to read the short bios of the chimpanzees in The Faun Foundation's care. Many of the chimpanzees in Fauna's care were former subjects in either Hepatitis or HIV research at the now defunct Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates, which was affiliated with New York University. Founded by Richard Allan and Gloria Grow in 1997, this is the only sanctuary in Canada which cares for ex-biomedical chimpanzees. Chimpanzees, like humans, can suffer profound psychological, in addition to physical, harm. Years within various extremely stressful environments have left the Fauna chimpanzees deeply scarred. The work that those at Fauna have taken on amounts to a life-time labor (captive chimpanzees can live well into their late fifties) of loving these individuals back to a more positive state of being. If you want to learn more about their important work, and I do commend them to you, click here. My deep thanks to Tony Smith for kindly providing the photograph and the biographical material which appears below.


	JEAN - CaseHistory DOB: October 7 1975. Animal: Chimpanzee#124 (5288),"Jean", female. Arrival date at Merck, Sharpe and Dohme: May 1981. Arrival date at LEMSIP from Buckshire Corp. March 3, 1988. (Re-tattooed CH-562) Medical History: Multiple punch liver biopsies taken. Study History: HepatitisA, NANB Hepatitis, and Rhinovirus Vaccine study. April 1992 infected withHIV.


Merck, Sharpe& Dohme [the research laboratories of Merck and Company Incorporated, a pharmaceutical company with a heavy emphasis on biomedical research] donated Jean to the Buckshire Corporation [a source of certain nonhuman animals, cages, and various services for those in research] in 1981 when she was 6 years old. Then in 1988 she arrived at LEMSIP. During her time at LEMSIP Jean suffered nothing but indignities. Continually given vaginal washes and cervical biopsies, Ch-562 was just as often treated for self-inflicted wounds in the early years. In 1992 she was inoculated with HIV. Following a study in 1995, Jean had a nervous breakdown. For the next 2 years Jean was heavily medicated but the medication still did not prevent her from having aggressive seizures during which she screamed continually, ripping her fingernails off and thrashing out at anyone who came near her. To this day she suffers from the so-called "phantom hand and foot" where she will begin to attack her own hand or foot as if it were not her own.

'NO' TO WAR. 'YES' TO PEACE AND JUSTICE!!

There must be other ways than war to reduce or eliminate conflict. All lovers of peace and genuine justice should stand up and be counted. War isn't a way to resolve your conflict or differences, it's merely a way of eliminating your interlocutor. This will only eliminate conflict or differences if those who might dissent from the favored perspective are effectively eliminated. Is that a world worth fighting for? Is that a just world?

For up to date information about Iraq: Amnesty Canada, Human Rights Watch, Waging Peace, Tikkun.org.

For up to date information on human rights abuses internationally, or nationally: Amnesty Canada.

"Repression in the name of anti-terrorism": Human Rights Watch.

Peace makers (and boy do we need them!): Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Coalition of Women for Peace, Project Ploughshares, Tikkun, Toronto Network of Engaged Buddhists, Women in Black.

The Coalition to End Primate Experimentation (or CEPE) is dedicated to ending the use of nonhuman primates in biomedical research. Their arguments are as simple as they are compelling. Many nonhumans have subtle differences in their physiology which undermine their usefulness as models in finding cures or treatments for human diseases. This consideration, coupled with the fact that many of these animals endure pain or suffering while 'participating' in biomedical research, should count against using them when the research is not in their, or their species, best interests. Where we find nonhuman primates with enough similarities to be of use as models, we invariably find individuals with features which ought to exclude them from research which is not in their, or their species, best interests. What features do I have in mind? For the sake of brevity, those features which we already agree exclude certain animals, namely us, from such research (regardless of age or infirmity) unless it is in our, or our species, best interests. CEPE now offers a way for you to focus your efforts in ending nonhuman primate experimentation which is not in the best interests of the nonhuman subjects. They are called Primate Freedom Tags. Each tag includes information about a nonhuman primate held at one of America's Regional Primate Research Centers, and comes with instructions about how to contact the relevant center and what questions to ask regarding the primate's well-being. Click here if you would like to read more about the tags, or here if you would like to read more about CEPE. My thanks to Lynn Pauly for the CEPE logo and photo.

The Coalition to End Primate Experimentation (or *CEPE) is dedicated to ending the use of nonhuman primates in biomedical research. Their arguments are as simple as they are compelling. Many nonhumans have subtle differences in their physiology which undermine their usefulness as models in finding cures or treatments for human diseases. This consideration, coupled with the fact that many of these animals endure pain or suffering while 'participating' in biomedical research, should* count against using them when the research is not in their, or their species, best interests. Where we find nonhuman primates with enough similarities to be of use as models, we invariably find individuals with features which *ought to* exclude them from research which is not in their, or their species, best interests. What features do I have in mind? For the sake of brevity, those features which we already agree exclude certain animals, namely us, from such research (*regardless of age or infirmity) unless it is in our, or our species, best interests. CEPE* now offers a way for you to focus your efforts in ending nonhuman primate experimentation which is not in the best interests of the nonhuman subjects. They are called Primate Freedom Tags. Each tag includes information about a nonhuman primate held at one of America's Regional Primate Research Centers, and comes with instructions about how to contact the relevant center and what questions to ask regarding the primate's well-being. Click here if you would like to read more about the tags, or here if you would like to read more about CEPE. My thanks to Lynn Pauly for the CEPE logo and photo.

ATTENTION ETHOLOGISTS

Cognitive Ethologist Marc Bekoff posted the following proposal on the internet:
"Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (EETA)
Mission statement

Marc Bekoff and Jane Goodall [have formed] a group ... called 'Ethologists for the Ethical Treatmentof Animals' (EETA). The purpose of EETA is to develop and to maintain the highest of ethical standards in comparative ethological researchthat is conducted in the field and in the laboratory. Furthermore, [they] wish to use the latest developments from research in cognitive ethology and on animal sentience to inform discussion and debate about the practical implications of available data and for the on going development of policy. If you are interested, please contact Marc Bekoff at <[email protected]>or at EPO Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0334USA."

See EETA's web site at <http://www.ethologicalethics.org/>

My thanks to Marc Bekoff for permission to post this notice.

ActionAlerts

Visit the Animal Protection Institute's Action Alert's section.
As we continue to live in a time when various nation states have joined together to declare a 'war against terrorism', don't forget those suffering in the name of national security.

Don't forget about those who are still awaiting due process in Guantanamo.

Don't forget about those who face abuse in Iraqi jails.

Don't forget about those facing threat of violence or incarceration in Afghanistan.

Don't forget about those facing threat of violence or incarcration in Chechnya.

Don't forget those facing threat of violence and incarceration in Xinjiang.

Don't forget about those facing threat of violence or incarceration in Uzbekistan.

Don't forget about those who are regarded as 'security risks' and are incarcerated without due process in Canada.

Don't forget about those suffering the same fate in the US.

Please consider writing a letter to Pierre Pettigrew, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, conveying that 'Canada must take a stronger stand as a human rights champion, even if this means confronting some of our most cherished international allies on such politically sensitive issues as the current so-called war against terrorism'. He can be reached by mail at The Hon Pierre Pettigrew, HOUSE OF COMMONS, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0A6. Remember no postage stamp is required if you are a Canadian resident.

Please consider writing a letter to Irwin Cotler, the current Justice Minister, to demand that Canadian citizens are treated equally under the law, with due process and the appearance of justice. He can be reached by mail at The Hon Irwin Cotler, HOUSE OF COMMONS, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0A6. Remember no postage stamp is required if you are a Canadian resident.

Free Tibet!!

Please remember, talk about and inform yourself about the CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY occuring in Tibet.

The People's Republic of China is a country with both a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and veto power, and is an important economic partner of such nations as Canada, the US and the UK. Yet it continues to disregard the basic rights of the people of Tibet, suppresses or controls religious expression, and disappears dissenters. The US and UK ostensibly went to war to 'free' the Iraqi people of tynranny (I'm rolling my eyes as I write this) ... but what of the Tibetans? Are we blockading China? Are there any UN Security Council resolutions calling for the withdrawal of Chinese forces from Tibet? Is Canada or the US demanding the return of the Panchen Lama? Hmmmm, something's amiss here.

DON'T FORGET THIS OPPRESSED PEOPLE. DON'T IGNORE THE CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY OCCURING IN TIBET RIGHT NOW!! Don't let YOUR political representatives forget them. Challenge YOUR political representatives when they claim to care for, and seek to protect, human rights across the globe.

Think, question, doubt, challenge! For god's sake, do something.

Here in Canada we're finally getting around to securing the rights of lesbians and gays to marry. Though this is merely an extension of basic equaliy rights guaranteed under our Charter of Right and Freedoms, there are still those in Canada who oppose treating lesbians and gays equally under law. The bill to legally recognize same-sex marriage is called Bill C-38. If you are a Canadian citizen, at home or abroad, PLEASE consider writing in support of this historic bill.

Write a letter to your local MP. S/He can be reached by mail at the HOUSE OF COMMONS, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0A6. Write a letter to the Prime Minister. Remember no postage stamp is required if you are a Canadian resident.

If you've ever wondered where you would stand on important issues of social reform, reform needed to combat historic prejudices against a minority, well ... now's your chance to find out. It's so easy to judge past generations for their social, 'race', class or gender prejudices. How's it feel now that we're facing our own?

Click here to join Zoocheck's campaign to both better the conditions of captive marine animals and prevent the imprisonment of any more.

Various Links, Resources, On-line Directories, On-line Papers or E-Texts

Sites related to Human Issues (ie. Civil or Human Rights [whether they be related to ethnicity, gender, or sexual preference] as well as information or resource sites related to these areas)

Sitesrelated to (Nonhuman) Animal Issues (ie. Nonhumans in entertainment, in research or on farms, as well as information or resource sites related to these areas)

General Resource Sites (ie. Government [National and International] pages, news [both internet and traditional], science, search engines, as well as resource sites related to some of these areas)

General Philosophy Sites (ie. Philosophers' home pages, Associations, Directories, Online Encyclopedias, Search engines, and other resource sites)

RealAudio Interviews or Sounds (contains interviews with the likes of W. H. Calvin, Frans de Waal, E. O. Wilson and Richard Wrangham)

Some Online texts or papers (ie. science texts or papers, philosophy texts or papers, and 'issues' papers)

Helpful links for Asian Philosophies

ATTENTION ETHOLOGISTS
Cognitive Ethologist Marc Bekoff posted the following proposal on the internet: "Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (EETA) Mission statement Marc Bekoff and Jane Goodall [have formed] a group ... called 'Ethologists for the Ethical Treatmentof Animals' (EETA). The purpose of EETA is to develop and to maintain the highest of ethical standards in comparative ethological researchthat is conducted in the field and in the laboratory. Furthermore, [they] wish to use the latest developments from research in cognitive ethology and on animal sentience to inform discussion and debate about the practical implications of available data and for the on going development of policy. If you are interested, please contact Marc Bekoff at <[email protected]>or at EPO Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0334USA." See EETA's web site at <http://www.ethologicalethics.org/> My thanks to Marc Bekoff for permission to post this notice.

ActionAlerts
Visit the Animal Protection Institute's Action Alert's section. As we continue to live in a time when various nation states have joined together to declare a 'war against terrorism', don't forget those suffering in the name of national security. Don't forget about those who are still awaiting due process in Guantanamo. Don't forget about those who face abuse in Iraqi jails. Don't forget about those facing threat of violence or incarceration in Afghanistan. Don't forget about those facing threat of violence or incarcration in Chechnya. Don't forget those facing threat of violence and incarceration in Xinjiang. Don't forget about those facing threat of violence or incarceration in Uzbekistan. Don't forget about those who are regarded as 'security risks' and are incarcerated without due process in Canada. Don't forget about those suffering the same fate in the US. Please consider writing a letter to Pierre Pettigrew, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, conveying that 'Canada must take a stronger stand as a human rights champion, even if this means confronting some of our most cherished international allies on such politically sensitive issues as the current so-called war against terrorism'. He can be reached by mail at The Hon Pierre Pettigrew, HOUSE OF COMMONS, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0A6. Remember no postage stamp is required if you are a Canadian resident. Please consider writing a letter to Irwin Cotler, the current Justice Minister, to demand that Canadian citizens are treated equally under the law, with due process and the appearance of justice. He can be reached by mail at The Hon Irwin Cotler, HOUSE OF COMMONS, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0A6. Remember no postage stamp is required if you are a Canadian resident. Free Tibet!! Please remember, talk about and inform yourself about the CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY occuring in Tibet. The People's Republic of China is a country with both a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and veto power, and is an important economic partner of such nations as Canada, the US and the UK. Yet it continues to disregard the basic rights of the people of Tibet, suppresses or controls religious expression, and disappears dissenters. The US and UK ostensibly went to war to 'free' the Iraqi people of tynranny (I'm rolling my eyes as I write this) ... but what of the Tibetans? Are we blockading China? Are there any UN Security Council resolutions calling for the withdrawal of Chinese forces from Tibet? Is Canada or the US demanding the return of the Panchen Lama? Hmmmm, something's amiss here. DON'T FORGET THIS OPPRESSED PEOPLE. DON'T IGNORE THE CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY OCCURING IN TIBET RIGHT NOW!! Don't let YOUR political representatives forget them. Challenge YOUR political representatives when they claim to care for, and seek to protect, human rights across the globe. Think, question, doubt, challenge! For god's sake, do something. Here in Canada we're finally getting around to securing the rights of lesbians and gays to marry. Though this is merely an extension of basic equaliy rights guaranteed under our Charter of Right and Freedoms, there are still those in Canada who oppose treating lesbians and gays equally under law. The bill to legally recognize same-sex marriage is called Bill C-38. If you are a Canadian citizen, at home or abroad, PLEASE consider writing in support of this historic bill. Write a letter to your local MP. S/He can be reached by mail at the HOUSE OF COMMONS, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0A6. Write a letter to the Prime Minister. Remember no postage stamp is required if you are a Canadian resident. If you've ever wondered where you would stand on important issues of social reform, reform needed to combat historic prejudices against a minority, well ... now's your chance to find out. It's so easy to judge past generations for their social, 'race', class or gender prejudices. How's it feel now that we're facing our own? *Click here to join Zoocheck's campaign to both better the conditions of captive marine animals and prevent the imprisonment of any more.*

Various Links, Resources, On-line Directories, On-line Papers or E-Texts

Sites related to Human Issues (ie. Civil or Human Rights [whether they be related to ethnicity, gender, or sexual preference] as well as information or resource sites related to these areas)	Sitesrelated to (Nonhuman) Animal Issues (ie. Nonhumans in entertainment, in research or on farms, as well as information or resource sites related to these areas)
General Resource Sites (ie. Government [National and International] pages, news [both internet and traditional], science, search engines, as well as resource sites related to some of these areas)	General Philosophy Sites (ie. Philosophers' home pages, Associations, Directories, Online Encyclopedias, Search engines, and other resource sites)
RealAudio Interviews or Sounds (contains interviews with the likes of W. H. Calvin, Frans de Waal, E. O. Wilson and Richard Wrangham)	Some Online texts or papers (ie. science texts or papers, philosophy texts or papers, and 'issues' papers)
Helpful links for Asian Philosophies


	A Supporter Of The Great Ape Project

ThisAnimalRights Web Ring site is owned by Andrew Fenton. Want to join the AnimalRights Web Ring? Ring Mistress:Twilight
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This site is owned and maintained by Andrew Fenton (ABD), Department of Philosophy, University of Calgary. If you have any questions or comments which relate to this page please email me at [email protected]. Also, if you have any problems with the links on this, or any other page, don't hesitate to email me.

May all beings find true happiness and a life free from suffering.

Last updated on 01/05/05

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The FaunaFoundation

'NO' TO WAR. 'YES' TO PEACE AND JUSTICE!!

ATTENTION ETHOLOGISTS

ActionAlerts

Free Tibet!!

Various Links, Resources, On-line Directories, On-line Papers or E-Texts

Sites related to Human Issues (ie. Civil or Human Rights [whether they be related to ethnicity, gender, or sexual preference] as well as information or resource sites related to these areas)

Sitesrelated to (Nonhuman) Animal Issues (ie. Nonhumans in entertainment, in research or on farms, as well as information or resource sites related to these areas)

General Resource Sites (ie. Government [National and International] pages, news [both internet and traditional], science, search engines, as well as resource sites related to some of these areas)

General Philosophy Sites (ie. Philosophers' home pages, Associations, Directories, Online Encyclopedias, Search engines, and other resource sites)

RealAudio Interviews or Sounds (contains interviews with the likes of W. H. Calvin, Frans de Waal, E. O. Wilson and Richard Wrangham)

Some Online texts or papers (ie. science texts or papers, philosophy texts or papers, and 'issues' papers)

Helpful links for Asian Philosophies