Since the 1970s, the feminist movement has expanded in many directions. There are feminists solely concerned with equal rights for women who are part of the liberal wing of feminism. There are the romantic feminists who contend that women and men really are different, but that the superiority is on the side of women's socialization. Then there are the feminists who have connected more with international movements for social justice, sustainability, and ecological rights. The intention in this paper is to talk with a feminist involved with the animals rights movement, then briefly explore the connection through the literature.
(This interview is condensed and edited for length, but the gist remains the same. My subject is Ms. Williams who is involved with PETA.)
Ms. W: The initials stand for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Our basic principles emphasize that animals are living creatures who deserve equal treatment with human beings. They certainly do not deserve to be stripped of their skins in order to adorn fashion models. Nor do they deserve to be sacrificed by the millions in order to test new hair products, or even medicines.
Me: You yourself, or family members, probably use medicines derived from animal testing. What would replace that and isn't there a preference in your heart for humans, and for people you know?
Ms. W.: This is a complicated issue. Certainly I want the people I know, and myself, to live long and healthy lives. I use the drugs that are available now, even though I know they probably cost many animal lives. But, I do not favor continued testing of products on animals nor continued use of laboratory animals. I think that people from the next century, or even fifty years from now will look back at us and be appalled at our ruthlessness and unconsciousness. There are other ways to test the safety of products and there are other ways to develop new medicines and procedures, incl...