Got a rat problem on your property? Under Oregon’s new animal-rights law, you’d still be able to address it — but only through methods that require live trapping and delivering the rodents to someone who wants them as pets. Alternatively, you could use birth-control bait and wait up to two years for the rodents to naturally pass away.
This isn’t satire. It is the proposal of Oregon’s Initiative 28 (I-28), also known as the “Peace Act.” The initiative, which its main sponsor describes as extending legal protections currently available to companion animals to other species, would criminalize hunting and fishing — among many other activities.
The law would remove exemptions from animal cruelty laws that allow for practices such as animal husbandry, slaughtering livestock and poultry, animal breeding, fishing, hunting, trapping, wildlife management, rodeos, scientific or agricultural research, and the control of nuisance animals. It would also criminalize intentionally injuring protected animals, including nonhuman mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. The only exceptions permitted are self-defense against an immediate threat to oneself, other humans, or animals, and good veterinary practices as defined by state law.
I-28’s primary sponsor is David Michelson, a Portland-based animal-rights activist who describes himself as a former psychologist, public health worker, and vegan. Critics estimate that the initiative would turn “nearly one million Oregonians into criminals” if enacted.
The initiative will appear on the November 3 ballot after organizers collected over 117,000 signatures — a threshold they recently surpassed. The Secretary of State’s office will verify the signatures to determine legitimacy.
So who would be affected by I-28? The Oregon Hunters Association provided a list of activities that would be restricted, but this may understate the impact. For example, mosquito spraying and killing insects would likely be prohibited under the law as well.
This issue hits close to home for the author, who has been dealing with a rat infestation in New York City. A neighbor spent $750 repairing his vehicle after rats chewed through wiring. If using the birth-control method, would he have to repeatedly repair such damage until the rodents naturally expire? And who in the NYC area would accept 15 to 40 city rats?
The article notes that while there are examples of extreme animal-rights efforts — such as Palitana, India’s Jain pilgrimage town, which banned meat and eggs in 2014, and Switzerland’s constitutional protection for animals’ “dignity” — neither has prohibited pest eradication.
The author acknowledges that respect for life is important. However, the anthropomorphizing of animals is a separate issue. The article also points out that animal-rights activists like Michelson are often pro-abortion, raising questions about their perspective on life and ethics.
The discussion extends to a radio interview with a PETA representative who was asked which would be saved in an emergency: an animal or a baby. He stated he could not choose one.
