On April 20^th, the Spanish Congress passed a bill through which animals will be treated as living beings under the law. Animals are currently viewed by Spanish law as objects. With this change, animals will have rights like those of children, that is, they must now be treated as sentient beings, whose well-being must be guaranteed.

The goal is to broaden the rights of animals. Today, the main measure to legally protect animals is a law from 2003 that stipulates six months to a year and a half of imprisonment for anyone who mistreats animals in Spanish territory. Besides Spain, countries including Portugal, Germany, Austria, and France already have laws that ensure animals are treated as living beings.

What changes?

The bill may still undergo some changes before the law goes into effect. However, the current document provides that:

– An owner has the obligation to care for his their animals and respect each species’ characteristics.

– When an abandoned animal is found, the owner must be found first. If the owner cannot be found, the person must report the abandonment to a specialized agency or center. Only after that, will someone else be allowed to take over caring for the animal.

– When a couple breaks up, they must decide what will happen with their pets. The interest of each family member and the pet’s well-being should be taken into consideration. A judge could determine that it should spend some time at each of the owners’ homes, for example.

In Brazil

Brazilian law considers animals to be objects. However, since 2018, there has been a bill in Congress that would consider animals  livinganimals living beings. In order to become valid, the measure has to be approved by the House of Representatives and the President, Jair Bolsonaro. Brazilian law currently punishes those who mistreat animals with two to five years in prison.

Questions

1) What does the Spanish bill say?

a) An abandoned animal can become someone else’s as soon as it is found.

b) Couple’s pets are not considered in the divorce process.

c) An owner must respect the traits of his pet’s species.

d) No one can be arrested for mistreating animals.

2) What do you think about the bill that was passed in Spain?

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