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Why do animal rights advocates argue that animals have basic interests deserving protection?

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Three PETA protesters in animal masks and green clothing hold signs reading No Fur at a demonstration against fur in clothing at a shopping district in Seoul, South Korea. — Animal rights A PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) demonstration in Seoul, South Korea, against the use of animals for fur in clothing.

Animal rights advocates argue that animals possess basic interests deserving protection primarily because they are sentient beings capable of experiencing pleasure and pain. This perspective, central to applied ethics, posits that the capacity to suffer is the fundamental condition for having interests.12

Philosophers like Peter Singer argue for the "principle of equal consideration of interests," asserting that like interests—such as the desire to avoid pain—should be given equal weight regardless of the species of the being. From this viewpoint, using species membership to justify discrimination is considered speciesism, an irrational prejudice analogous to racism or sexism.12

Alternatively, philosophers like Tom Regan argue that certain animals possess inherent value because they are "the subject of a life," possessing advanced cognitive abilities similar to those that justify human rights. Both approaches reject the notion that moral status is determined solely by human characteristics like language or rationality, as such criteria often fail to account for all humans, such as those with severe intellectual disabilities. Ultimately, advocates maintain that recognizing these interests is a moral imperative to minimize suffering and prevent exploitation.213