Spain Takes the Plunge

Spanish parliament to extend rights to apes
Wed Jun 25, 2008 4:27pm EDT
By Martin Roberts

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's parliament voiced its support on Wednesday for the rights of great apes to life and freedom in what will apparently be the first time any national legislature has called for such rights for non-humans.

Parliament's environmental committee approved resolutions urging Spain to comply with the Great Apes Project, devised by scientists and philosophers who say our closest genetic relatives deserve rights hitherto limited to humans.

"This is a historic day in the struggle for animal rights and in defense of our evolutionary comrades, which will doubtless go down in the history of humanity," said Pedro Pozas, Spanish director of the Great Apes Project. Read More

Spain has become the first nation to plunge off the cliff and grant human rights to apes. They use the logic that since they are “almost” human, they should be granted these rights. This is ridiculous, “almost” and “pretty close” shouldn’t cut it. I would hope that since these apes have been granted these rights that they will also start contributing to human society.