'GIVING LEGAL RIGHTS TO PETS'
As more and more cats and dogs have licked and purred their way into our lives, they've also worked their way into the legal system. Pets have become the subject of legislation(법률의 제 정)and court battles(법정 분쟁), and in some cases even have their own legal representation. It's still the case that cats and dogs are considered property. Technically, in the eyes of the law, they are no different from a couch or a car. But there have been a lot of legal changes that have really blurred that line between animal and person, and between property and person, especially when it comes to cats and dogs.
However, veterinary(수의과의) organization drawn the line when it comes to treating pets like people. They worry that, "if this person considers their cat or dog a person, if I make a mistake they could sue me for vet malpractice(의료 과실). I could be sued for tens of thousands of dollars for an animal that's only worth 50 bucks.” When we view our pets like children, we sue like they are
children when things go wrong. I think it's really the confluence of a lot of factors. First of all, you have the disappearance of all other animals from our daily lives. Also, we used to live with a lot of people in our houses. Now you have a lot of people living just as couples without kids, you have empty nesters(장성한 자녀가 집을 떠난 뒤에 남게 된 부모), you have huge divorce rates, people living by themselves. There's a real emptiness in our homes that cats and dogs have filled. This isn't fringe(비주류) behavior to treat a pet like a member of the family.
Some people warned that giving legal rights to pets undermines what it means to be a human. Idea, which is shared by a number of legal advocates(지지자), is that humans are unique. Only we can have rights because rights imply responsibility and an understanding of how society works and how the law works. All of human civilization is built on us not only understanding our own rights but also understanding the rights of others. Giving animals rights completely shatters(산산이 부서지다) this: Not only are they not human, but we have no idea that they can even comprehend this status and these rights that we've given them. Also there are a lot of unintended consequences to treating pets as people. For instance, if your cat was a legal person, and your neighbor thought you weren't treating your cat well, your neighbor or something like a pet protective services could step in and take that animal way, just like if you mistreated a child.
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