An adjunct professor at the St. Thomas University (STU) School of Law who once was quoted saying he sees no difference between a chimpanzee and his toddler son, has now filed a lawsuit seeking personhood for chimpanzees earlier this month.
Steven Wise, the president of the Nonhuman Rights Project, requested that a New York state court declare a 26-year-old chimp named Tommy “a cognitively complex autonomous legal person with the fundamental legal right not to be imprisoned.”
The lawsuit demands the chimp’s immediate release to a primate sanctuary.
In a pressrelease, Wise compared chimpanzees to human slaves. “Not long ago, people generally agreed that human slaves could not be legal persons, but were simply the property of their owners,” Wise continued. “Abraham Lincoln put it best when he said that ‘in giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free.’”
At a 2002 book signing event, Wise went so far as to compare his own son to a primate. “I don’t see a difference between a chimpanzee and my 4 1/2- year-old son,” he was quoted as saying.
December 13, 2013 at 12:48 am
If the guy is looking to end slavery, don't bother with monkeys. Start working to ending the millions of slaves that currently exist. Hard labor, sex slaves. Time for this guy to do something useful. Satan has everyone chasing their tails while real sorrow exists in this world.
December 13, 2013 at 1:24 am
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December 13, 2013 at 2:50 am
The monkey has a mortal soul that will die when the monkey dies. The human being is endowed with an immortal soul who will live in eternity. Jesus Christ rose from the dead, body and soul. The monkey will never rise from the dead, but will remain dead.The human being lives as "alter Christi". The animal, as the word means is a small life. This is how God designed creation. I find it problematic that a teacher teaches that man's soul is of no consequence with God. Only God can make that choice. Atheists ought not be given tenured positions at Catholic schools.
December 13, 2013 at 1:36 pm
he doesn't believe there's no difference between a monkey and his kid? Wait until the beast starts flinging poop at him. Then he will know the difference!
December 13, 2013 at 2:26 pm
Chimpanzees aren't monkeys. Neither are they people. Legal personhood for chimps would logically entail prosecuting most of them for murder, infanticide, assault, and rape—as well as for poaching, since they regularly eat monkeys, some of which are endangered.
December 15, 2013 at 1:45 am
@Sophia's Favorite: Murder, infanticide, rape and assault are crimes which no irrational creature can premeditate. Animals kill for food. Only man with his rational soul kills to kill out of whatever devil is tempting him. Justice is predicated on intent. Animals have no reason nor free will to intend.
December 15, 2013 at 2:47 am
OK, 'proof's in the pudding. Let's see the prof train his "little monkey" and cage him for the rest of his life. Better yet, let the little tyke go free in some African jungle.
This is all beyond disgusting and heartbreaking…
Have we reached the tipping point, yet?
December 15, 2013 at 7:21 am
@Mary De Voe: That's my point. If chimpanzees were people, they'd all be criminals. They force matings and kill each other for absolutely no reason (not just for food—although they do eat each other, too). But they are not people, they're just animals. No serious primatologist pretends for a moment that there is any doubt of that—it's empty rhetoric in favor of dehumanizing humans, not humanizing chimps.