Got Rights?

The talk show we watched in class, "No Dogs or Philosophers Allowed"- Got Rights? was very interesting. One thing that especially interested me was the difference between legal and moral rights. Legal rights are obvious. They are rights such as being able to vote. Then there are moral rights that sometimes conflict with legal rights. An example of that is slavery. Slavery has been morally wrong although it was a legal right at one point in time. What should hold more weight--legal rights or moral rights. Personally, I believe that moral rights hold more weight for me than legal rights. For example, abortion. Abortion is legal in Massachusetts but some people are morally opposed to it. I believe that it depends on the person to whether they will follow a legal right or a moral right.

Should moral rights influence legal rights? I believe that they should not. Everyone's moral rights are different. Therefore, there would not be a common ground to make a moral right become a legal right. That is why there is conflict between these two rights. I believe that if someone is morally opposed to something that is legally allowed, they should not participate in the law. Also, I thought it was interesting about the discussion of whether animals can suffer or not.

I believe that animals can suffer, but they cannot voice their suffering as much as humans can. I believe that animals suffer whether they act if they are suffering or not. Animals are more sensitive than humans realize. In fact, I believe that animals are suffering while they are in zoos. They are suffering because they are living in an environment that is unnatural to them. They are being forced to live a lifestyle they choose not to.

Overall, I thought this talk show segment was very informative, and I enjoyed it.