Why Don’t Animal Rights Activists Care About Humans?

What people don’t realize is that animal rights and human rights are directly connected, and here’s how going vegan helps humans too.

Author: Jamie Logan

I get this question all the time. It’s one of the most common things people say when you tell them you advocate for animals.

What people don’t realize is that animal rights and human rights are directly connected. Who is working in those slaughterhouses? What neighborhoods are filled with fast food joints? How do we feed 80 billion animals and still have 900 million starving people?

Going vegan is a stand against all forms of oppression, and here’s how it helps humans too.

People that work inside slaughterhouses have some of the highest rates of suicide, PTSD, and substance abuse issues. They work long hours in unsafe conditions and barely make enough money to support themselves and their families. Oftentimes, illegal immigrants or children are forced to clean sharp machinery and blood off the floors. Imagine having to kill animals all day for a living… It’s hell on earth. A 2016 study published in the International Journal of Mental Health found that workers in animal slaughter and processing facilities experienced a relatively high prevalence of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to the study, the prevalence rates of these disorders among slaughterhouse workers were 34.9%, 36.4%, and 28.4%, respectively.

Not only are meat, dairy, and eggs harmful to the slaughterhouse workers but also to the people that live near these facilities. Factory farms and slaughterhouses expose the surrounding residents to a whole list of diseases and chemicals. They generate significant amounts of waste, including animal feces, urine, blood, and chemicals. This waste can contaminate the air and water in the surrounding area, leading to health problems such as respiratory issues, skin irritation, and contaminated drinking water.

Another reason animal agriculture harms humans is that the animals are extremely sick. I’ve seen parasites coming out of the animals’ behinds, tumors and puss-filled masses, mucus and snot running from their noses and loads of fecal matter at every slaughterhouse I’ve ever been to. In the US, 70% of pharmaceuticals are given to farm animals to keep them from dying of diseases before they are slaughtered. The overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture can lead to antibiotic resistance, which can harm both animals and humans because this makes it more difficult to treat infections.

Human health is at risk due to these products. Meat, dairy, and eggs are directly linked to certain cancers, diabetes, and heart disease. Over 17 million lives are lost each year from cardiovascular diseases, and about 10 million die from cancer every year. We can help people by educating them on healthy and affordable food alternatives to meat, dairy, and eggs.

We don’t need to compare social justice movements, instead, we can recognize that there is a need to speak up and advocate for various issues… Animal rights are an important one as well. You can connect with an animal rights organization near you by using the Vkind app.

Resources:

“Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/pdf/threats-report/2019-ar-threats-report-508.pdf. Page 58  It states that “Approximately 70% of all antibiotics sold in the United States are used in food animals, primarily to promote growth and prevent disease.”

Cardiovascular diseases. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int › Health topics

Garcia-Gomez, J., Gomez-Urquijo, S., & Barros-Dios, J. M. (2016). Mental health in the workplace: A study of prevalence and associated factors. International Journal of Mental Health, 45(3), 171-188. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207411.2016.1193512 

Quinlan, M. B., & Quinlan, R. J. (2018). Doing hurtful things: The prevalence and associated factors of depression and anxiety among occupational groups in the meatpacking industry. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 60(10), 930-935. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000001403