Should Chimps Have Human Rights?

An anonymous reader writes "A Brazilian court has already issued a writ of habeas corpus in the name of a chimp. And now an Austrian court may well decide that a chimpanzee is a 'person' with what up until now have been called human rights." From the story in the Guardian/Observer: "He recognizes himself in the mirror, plays hide-and-seek and breaks into fits of giggles when tickled. He is also our closest evolutionary cousin. A group of world leading primatologists argue that this is proof enough that Hiasl, a 26-year-old chimpanzee, deserves to be treated like a human. In a test case in Austria, campaigners are seeking to ditch the 'species barrier' and have taken Hiasl's case to court. If Hiasl is granted human status — and the rights that go with it — it will signal a victory for other primate species and unleash a wave of similar cases."

Comments

Re:Yes and no

[dsanfte]

So you're putting the life of a dung beetle on the same level as the life of a human being. Right. Will the insanity never stop?

Re:Soul?

[oliverthered]

There's a large body of evidence that the soul does not exist, there is no evidence that the soul does exist. Make your conclusions.