Principle Five of the Six Principles of the Abolitionist Approach states that the rights of humans and nonhumans are inextricably intertwined. Treating any sentient being as a thing is morally unjustifiable. All forms of exclusion and discrimination are interrelated. All forms of exclusion and discrimination constitute violence. Abolitionists reject them all.
Some who talk about “intersectionality” apply different and more protective standards when fundamental human interests are involved than they apply when the fundamental interests of nonhumans are at stake. They reject consequentialism and moral subjectivity where humans are concerned, but not where nonhumans are concerned.
They do not recognize veganism as a generally applicable moral principle–a moral baseline–that morally requires a recognition that we cannot justify participating in the direct exploitation of nonhumans. They characterize promoting veganism as a moral baseline as “preaching veganism or vegan fundamentalism.”
That is deeply speciesist.
Some who talk about “intersectionality” claim that only certain people can talk about issues of human discrimination and the relationship between human exploitation and nonhuman exploitation.
Abolitionist intersectionality rejects speciesism. All sentient beings have the moral right not to be used as resources. Veganism is a moral baseline. If animals have moral value, then veganism is not an option. It is a moral obligation that is no different from the moral obligations that concern the fundamental interests of humans.
Abolitionist intersectionality rejects all limits on who can be an abolitionist vegan advocate. Anyone can engage in creative, nonviolent, unequivocal abolitionist vegan education and advocacy regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, age, or physical or cognitive abilities.
Abolitionist intersectionality is egalitarian in all respects.
Gary L. Francione
Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of Law, Rutgers University
Anna Charlton
Adjunct Professor of Law, Rutgers University
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If you are not vegan, please go vegan. Veganism is about nonviolence. First and foremost, it’s about nonviolence to other sentient beings. But it’s also about nonviolence to the earth and nonviolence to yourself.
If animals matter morally, veganism is not an option — it is a necessity. Anything that claims to be an animal rights movement must make clear that veganism is a moral imperative.
The World is Vegan! If you want it.
Learn more about veganism at www.HowDoIGoVegan.com.
©2015 Gary L. Francione & Anna Charlton
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