5/11/2012
porterville

salinna
smith/monache
i believe that they dont have constituational rights. There just animals. Though they do have a right to be safe and not harmed. Though besides that then no. if anything they wouldnt even know what the constittuaional rights are. So why should we supply animals with the law. Thus, the law should apply to only humans.

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5/11/2012
Porterville, CA

John
Smith/Monache
Animals do not currently have constitutional rights. This, by no means, is the end of the story. Animals should have partial rights, or at least there should be some unalienable rights that hold true for all living creatures. Animals should not be placed in captivity for our amusement. Animals should not be made to suffer unnecessarily. This is simply a moral dilemma, and holds no legal points in its current form.

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5/11/2012
Porterville, CA

Andres
Mr.Smith/Monache
I believe animals have some constitutional rights just like any human does. We are all born and raised in this planet including animals so why shouldn’t they be treated fairly. I do think it would apply in a way but if they are treating the whales fairly at sea world they shouldn’t be law suited.

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5/1/2012
Porterville/CA

Mario
Smith/Monache
I'm against the removal of animals from natural habitat. Animals shouldn't be harmed however, I don't believe that the constitution was made with animals in mind. It was created by the people which were humans. I also don't believe that these animals used for enjoyment are considered to be slaves. Animals should have rights, but not necessarily constitutional rights.

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4/29/2012
Montgomery/TX

Sarah
Metzger/MHS
I feel that the 13th Amendment was dealing with the issue of human beings, not animals. The 13th Amendment was written in a way to include all races and ethnicity to prevent slavery from all humans and races. However the idea of an animal caged, misfed, and abused is beyond the 13th Amendment, its about the ethical treatment of life. Animals should'nt be captured from the wild and put into cages, but if they are born in captivity, i see nothing wrong with that animal staying captive because institutions like sea world and zoos have medical staff who feed their animals. An animal thats had to rely on humans could'nt survive the wild.

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2/9/2012
Vancouver, British Columbia

Cathleen
Douglas College
Yes, I do believe animals should be included in the 13th Amendment. While there are some differences between us and animals, our needs are basically the same: nourishment, freedom, companionship, a place we can feel at home, etc. Taking whales from the vast oceans and keeping them in a small tank and making them do tricks so you can bring in money. YES, that sounds like slavery to me! Any human would feel trapped if they were confined to a small room their whole life. I say kudos to Peta. This sounds like a wonderful case.

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2/8/2012
Montgomery, TX

JC
Metzger/MHS
This discussion sounds to me like the one that would taken place back when Africans were kept as slaves. The slave owners (in this case humans) think the slaves (animals) should only have some right but what they enjoy in terms of freedom should be limited and determined by the slave owners. What limits an animal's freedom from enslavement here is simply prejudice.

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12/21/2011
Montgomery/TX

M. Durbin
Metzger/MHS
I do not agree that animals do have precise constitutional rights, but they do have specifics. The 13th Amendment of the abolish of slavery does not apply to animals nor whales at Sea World. The Framers who wrote our Constitution did not imply that the 13th Amendment would cover the rights for animals. This is why we have the PETA; an organization that tries to protect the animal abuse that we have. The 13th Amendment law seems as it only implies to humans and their rights. Yes, I do believe that this lawsuit was demeaning, reasons for this are in comparison with humans and whales. In this lawsuit the whales are standing in the same line as humans, and you can't compare an animal to a human being.

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12/16/2011
Alexandria/Va

Leroy Alexander
Dorceus/Hayfield
Yes I do think Animals should have constitutional rights. They may not be the same as people but they have rights in their animal ways. like they can use the bathroom anywhere only where they are allowed to. they have a mind of their own.

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12/14/2011
Montgomery/TX

Meghan Leitz
Metzger/MHS
Animals have certain rights, but those rights don't pertain to the 13th ammendment. The Bill of Rights was created with the idea of humans in mind. The framers did not care back then how animals were treated. Today, animals rights groups such as PETA, try to protect and end animal abuse and neglect. I agree that animals deserve to be in a safe environment, but trying to say that the 13th ammendment about slavery abolishment should protect animals as well, seems a bit ridiculous. They say that keeping the orcas in a closed, concrete pool where they can’t be themselves and do as they please is considered slavery. The orcas are taken from the ocean when they are very young and captivity is all they know and they don’t know any differently. Some orcas are actually born into captivity. So, no, I don’t agree that the animals should fall under the protection of the 13th amendment.

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12/13/2011
Montgomery/ TX

Ian S
Metzger/ MHS
Animals have no rights they are not human, the constitution wasn't based on the animals and humans. They should be protected by laws though, against animal cruelty so they are not abused day after day. And that being said animals shouldn't be compared to humans. The framers had no care at all while they were writing the constitution about the animals.

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12/5/2011
Montgomery, TX

George F
Metzger/ MHS
Animals may have certeain rights, but when it comes to the 13th amendment, that does not include animals. The 13th amendment established equal rights for all citizens, not all animals. Therefore, the 13th amendment protection against slavery does not apply to the whales at Sea World. I firmly believe that the amendment is only implied to human beings. In my opinion, i believe that the lawsuit was demeaning, because in the lawsuit, the whales are being portrayed as citizens. You can't compare animals with human beings.

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12/2/2011
Montgomery, TX

Katy B
Metzger/ MHS
I believe that animals have rights to a certain extent, but the thirteenth amendment was not written with them in mind. The thirteenth amendment was written to abolish slavery of people. In the case of the whales, at the San Diego Sea World, their rights are not based on the rights written in the Constitution but rather the laws covering animal cruelty. I do agree, however, that animals should have rights regarding their care and handling. Do I believe this lawsuit is demeaning? That’s a hard question, because on one hand I want to stand up for the rights of animals, but I don’t believe that their rights should be based off of my rights.

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11/22/2011
Chicago IL

Nicole
Mrs.Tweet/Bloom Trail High School
I do bealieve animals have rights because I don`t think people should just be able to kill or violate animals. They wouldn`t be able to testify but maybe the people that feel they should have rights could stand up and fight for them. Because some people think it`s funny just to kill or violate animals but in reality it`s actually not. So i do believe they have rights .

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11/9/2011
Irving/Tx

Azaria
Bradley/Nimitz
Many animals depend on us humans for survival. Cats and dogs may find it very hard to live a life outside of one where they are cared for by humans. And although there are some animals that are able to live out in the wild with out humans, it is obvious to see that their lives are much easier with our help. So why should we start uprooting animals on the grounds that they are “involuntarily and unconstitutionally kept as slaves,” when these animals depend on us for their survival. It is my belief that as long as the animal is being treated well, given enough food, room to move freely around and play or swim, is healthy and is obviously happy and not depressed with their situation, then they are not slaves. I myself have many pets, and they are not my slaves, they are part of my family. They are as much my family as my siblings are. So why should we take an animal out of a loving environment if they are not unhappy, or being abused?

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11/7/2011
denver

terry
kennedy
I think that animals do not have constitutional rights. I think this because animals are treated alot worst then humans for example we slater thousands of animals dayly for food.

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11/6/2011
Dallas/Texas

Lauren
Bradley/ nimitz
Yes animals have rights just like humans do. They should be treated in a respectable why. They should never be left on there own. They should have a daily meal and should be bathed. They should have a nice home. Do not get me wrong they do not have to be just like a human but other humans should not treat them like trash. And like it says in the thirteenth amendment says there should be no slavery of any kind. So no living thing on this planet should be treated wrong.

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11/6/2011
Irving/Texas

Austin
Bradley/Nimitz
I don't believe that animals have constitutional right because they are not in the constitution at all. However, I do believe that animals have natural rights just as humans do. Even though I agree with Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection "The strongest/most intelligent survive.", that does not mean that humans can treat animals however they want. Comparing animals to slaves in the thirteenth amendment is stupid. All you have to do is realize that we are all different species living on and SHARING one planet.

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11/6/2011
Georgia

Emily J.
Ms. Strickland/Oconee County High School
It is my belief that animals do have certain Constitutional rights. There are certain rights that should be extended to animals. The thirteenth amendment does not allow the U.S. to have slaves. This should extend to animals, but if Americans do gives animals this right, there are certain things to think about. 1. If we give animals this right, who will stand up for them if their rights are being trampled on? Animals cannot communicate directly to us. Are the United States going to create a department to protect these Constitutional rights, or the the Americans going to have to watch for that themselves? 2. Will house pets be considered slaves? House pets are very common. Many people around the world have their own pets. These pets can be anything form cats and dogs to snakes and lizards. If animals are given the rights from the thirteenth amendment, will people all over the country be forced to give up their beloved pets? These animals were raised and trained in a house, not in the wild. Some of them are so small that they would be killed almost right away. Take Yorkies for example. Yorkies are small dogs that are born so small that you can fit them into your hand and there will still be plenty of room on your hands. If we set thousands of Yorkies into the wild, they will be killed off almost right away. Think of how many types of animals the country would lose if everything would be set off into the wild. 3. Would the animals in zoos have to be sent away? We all remember that field trip in first grade to the zoo. We were all fascinated with the animals. Would it all be lost if animals were counted into the thirteenth amendment? Think about how many of those animals that were raised in captivity that would have to be set out into the wild. Also, zoos do not only show you animals, they save animals from disasters too. What would happen to those animals if we didn't have zoos? Giving animals rights is a great idea, if there are limits to the rights they are given.

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11/6/2011
Irving/Texas

Jennifer N.
Bradley/Nimitz
I don't think the constitution was written with the thought of animals in mind. I don't believe, in this case, that the 13th amendment applies to the whales. Animals don't exactly obey our rules of society, they have their own. It's very unfortunate that they were forced to be separated from their families, but it's really too late to do anything about that. If Animals should have the same rights as humans, should humans have the same right animals?

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11/4/2011
AZ

Tori
Benson High Scool
I think animals have just as many rights as we do to an extent. Hurting and killing animals for fun is not only morally wrong but should be against the law.

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11/4/2011
Benson/Arizona

Brevin
Mr. Sorenson/Benson High School
NO!!! i do not think animals should have constitutional rights because, just think, how could they defend themselves in court?

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11/4/2011
Irving/Texas

Trent
Mrs.Bradley/Nimitz High School
The Constitution was drafted for the People just as it states in the Preface, "We The People" are the first word's of the Constitution. Through the wording of the Constitution and not the Amendments the rights are implied that they are for the people, which strictly means the Human Race. The Constitutional Amendment's are an revision to the Constitution, but it never says anywhere in the Amendment's that the implied right of the Human Race are to be shared by all races. The Thirteenth Amendment does prohibit Slavery of any kind, but due to the Nature of the Constitution it is implied to only be applied to the Human Race as an whole. I believe that Animal Protection is essential to the World, just as the Protection of the Environment is keen, but the lawsuit requesting Sea World to pay a fine and release the Whales is demeaning in every aspect of it's intentions. The Human Race is the dominate Race throughout the entire existence of Man and Woman, It is the intellectual capabilities that separate Human's from the rest of the Animal Races that have not had the need to evolve to an high standard of intellectual capability.

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11/4/2011
Irving/Texas

Shelby
Bradley/Nimitz
I believe that animals should not have rights like people, but should have some rights. I do not believe the 13th amendment applies to the wales at Sea World. It really only refers to humans.

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11/4/2011
Irving/Texas

Aaron
Bradley/Nimitz
While I do believe that animal testing is wrong, the use of animals in Sea World attractions in no way resembles slavery to me. Animals have been used at circuses for many, many years, and until recently, it was never seen as too big of a problem. Animals can't speak for themselves if they don't like the way they're being treated, so who's to know if they don't appreciate the constant attention? Seaworld doesn't harm them, they train them, put on a show with them, and then reward them with a safe place to live as well as treats and rewards during, and after performances.

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11/4/2011
Norfolk, NE

Austin
Mrs. Gentile/LHNE
First off there isnt an amendment out there that gives animals any rights. The only "rights" they have is for dogs and that says that dogfighting is illegal but that is really necessarily a "right". The 13th amendment for you guys that say it is intended for anmials thats a bunch of BS it says that it outlaws slavery and last time i checked animals arent my slaves they are my pets and my companions. My opinion on you guys that say they have rights is that you guys are a bunch of secular humanists. Becuase they believe that animals are humans and are even higher than humans.

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11/4/2011
Norfolk/Nebraska

Daniel
Mrs. Gentile/ Lutheran High Northeast
In no way does the Constitution give animals rights of any kind. If you read the Constition, you will see that it applies to the citizens of the United States, not the animals that they possess. The Bill of Rights and all other amendments were written to give rights to America's people and nothing else.

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11/4/2011
Irving,TX

Ashley S.
Bradley/Nimitz
I believe animals do have constitutional rights. I don't think whales refer to the 13th Amendment. When writing the 13th Amendment Congress was mostly focusing on slaves as in AfricanAmericans. I highly doubt they we're referring to animals at the time. If this is the case why does PETA suddenly want to sue Sea World after all this time? Also the animals are being saved by extinction, so aren't they being protected?

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11/4/2011
Irving/TX

Angelica R
Bradley/Nimitz
I do not think that animals should have constitutional rights and I don't think that the 13th Amendment applies to whales at Sea World. I'm not saying that, that means they should be mistreated, but The Constitution was written for people and not with animals in mind. All the other amendments can't be used for animals so I don't think the 13th Amendment does. I think it can be a bit demeaning because I think the 13th Amendment was made for the (people), and including animals in it can make them feel like they weren't so important.

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11/3/2011
Irving, Tx

Jose R.
Bradley/Nimitz
As described in the 13th amendment, animals are implied to have constitutional rights. Animals are humans best friends but there are times where humans just take it to far. Sometimes its like the animals are slaves. Their owners mistreat them and don't give them food daily. This is a reason why the 13th amendment should apply to animals. The 13th amendment does apply to whales if the whales are being taken advantage of. Animal abuse is a serious matter and needs to be dealt with. The 13th amendment is probably the only constitutional protection animals have so it must be counted for. I believe the 13th amendment is tricky and should be reviewed so it can be more specific. This could help relieve any doubts and make it easier on Americans.

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11/3/2011
Sidney, MT

Andrew
Mr. Faulhaber/ Sidney High School
I believe that animals do have constitutional rights, but in this case with Sea World in San Diego, California. Is against the interstate commerce clause, in that Sea World's main attraction is Shamu. Shamu brings in tourists, and if PETA won the case it would bring a decline in revenue which is conflicts with interstate commerce.

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11/3/2011
Irving/ TX

Joshua P
Bradley/ Nimitz
The framers were not thinking of animals at the time they were writing the constitution especially since so many animals were used for farming and modes of transportation. I believe that if the whales are mistreated at Sea World then this should be looked into further but since they have been there since childhood this is the environment they are used to. Throwing them back into the wild would just be their death sentence since they have been so used to being fed and taken care of. It is morally wrong to take any animal from their family but that is the unfortunate part of the human society we are just so in need of entertainment we will do anything to get it but I digress this is a situation that most people would find pointless to argue about. Instead of trying to free these whales I would focus more on stopping other whales from being captured.

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11/2/2011
Irving, TX

Cynthia G
Bradley/Nimitz
I believe that animals do have constitutional rights and that the 13th Amendment could apply to any animal. The 13th Amendment says neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist in the United States and this goes for animals. If you have a beating heart than you are considered living and animals have every right to live their life. Killing or abusing an animal is in every aspect the same as abusing humans. Since people have the right to stand up against their views then animals should have the right for people to stand up for them. Animals should not be taken from their habitat to be kept captive and hurt.

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11/2/2011
Irving, TX

Diana C
Bradley/Nimitz
Animals should have reasonable constitutional rights. Only the ones that would make sense and that could apply to them such as the issue of slavery. One that wouldn't really concern them would be one like the right to bear arms; that would be unreasonable. Animals should NOT be treated like slaves no matter what. Like humans, they should have the right to be free and do as they please. Animals are living organism and have a life like humans, maybe not the same way but it's the same concept. Animals OR humans should not be mistreated, therefore animals should also have rights to protect them against malicious humans. This law suit just shows how humans can be so disrespectful to other awesome living creatures and how they are risking their lives.

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11/1/2011
Irving/ texas

Caterine Cruz
Bradley/ Nimitz
Animals should have constitutional right, it doesn't matter if its human or an animal. They are forced to be in tanks, and do tricks for peoples entertainment. We shouldn't treat animals like that. In my opinion animals should have their own amendment. They are living creatures just like humans are. People wouldn't like being slaves again, so why should we do it to animals. simple we should respect animals. Many animals are treated bad in zoo's, and aquariums they don't even feed the animals at times. So yes i think we should have rights for animals they have to the right to be in their natural habitat.

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11/1/2011
Irving/Texas

Kirstin F.
Bradley/Nimitz
I think animals have some constitutional rights The 13th amendment does not apply whales in my opinion though because they are not being enslaved and being forced to do things against their will with terrible living conditions. They are treated like humans who are typically doing their job day by day. I believe there are some rights that animals posses as well as humans but there are also some right us as humans have that animals don't necessarily need such as freedom of speech.

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11/1/2011
Springfield Pennsylvania

Sean
Mr. McRae
Animals in today’s society don’t have constitutional rights, but this doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t. The main reason that they don’t is the amendments that are used to protect human rights aren’t used to protect that which is out of the human race category-that being animals. What makes the thirteenth amendment acceptable for animals is that it contains slavery, but leaves out the subject of which the amendment applies to. If the act of slavery is taking place in the United States-as the amendment states- then it applies to everything. By taking the whales out of their natural habitat and having them “kept in small concrete tanks and reduced to performing stupid tricks” is a violation of the animal’s rights. This means that the trial isn’t demeaning and it should be fought over for the health of the animals; as well as, the endangerment of their lives.

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11/1/2011
Watertown/ Ma

Michaela
Mr. Rimas/ Watertown High School
I dont believe that the 13th Amendment protects against "slavery" to the whales at Sea World because they are being properly fed and cared for, whereas being a slave you are not rewarded for doing things.

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11/1/2011
Pennsylvania

Shane
Mr. McRae/ Springfield high school
I think it is safe to say that all of the Amendments were written in order to protect human’s rights and humans rights alone. The 13th Amendment does not protect the Orca’s at Sea World but there are animal protection laws that do. It is a shame that there are extreme animal activists like those that participate in PETA because it gives others activists a bad reputation. If they feel so strongly about the conditions these creatures are living in they should request new laws be made in order to protect animal. Also there are plenty of laws protecting animals such as the Animal Welfare Act. I agree that animals should have rights but PETA needs to learn how to argue their point with proper reasoning.

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11/1/2011
Irving/Texas

Marcus A.
Nimitz High School/Helen Bradley
Animals have constitutional rights up to a point. We don't know their thoughts, desire, dreams, or goals, yet we continue to kill animals in order to provide food for our families. But if we all acted in a “animals are people too” mentality, we would starve. The same principle applies to animals trained in amusement and theme parks. Taking animals from their natural habitats does have its negative consequences, such as losing that vital mother-to-child connection. However, positive ramifications exist in that these animals learn to cooperate with human beings – a special privilege for both the animal species and human beings. Therefore, the 13th Amendment does not adhere to the rights of animals, for they are not treated poorly and inhumanely. We still feed them, we still shower them, we still love them. Thus, the lawsuit is unnecessary in that it implies every single human abuses animals for his or her enjoyment, though to an extent this is true. But the proportion of people who actually fall in this category is minutely small, ruining the reputations of everybody all the while. The question is not whether animal entertainment services are right or wrong. The real issue at hand is the way we treat these countless whales, dolphins, tigers, lions, seals, elephants, etc. If we want to please a majority of the human population, setting stringent regulations on the well-being of all animals is the way to go.

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11/1/2011
watertown high

hugo
mr. rimas/ watertown high school
no because animals are not people. they have their own laws in the wild.

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11/1/2011
Watertown MA

Mike
John Rimas Watertown High
No simply because the 13th Amendment was created to protect all humans not creatures.

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11/1/2011
Watertown Ma

Jessica Falter
Mr.Rimas
My opinon on animals having constitutional rights is that they should. Just because they are not human beings does not they mean should be treated badly or differently. Way before humans where even made we once where all animals we just evolved over time. The amendment says that in the United States people should not be treated unfair or wrong. So that also goes for animals they should not be treated differently or be harmed.

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11/1/2011
Watertown MA

Meghan
Mr. Rimas/Watertown High School
I believe that animals should have at least some rights. I think this because especially in scientific research, a lot of painful experiments are conducted. For example, cancer treatments etc. These types of experiments are not done on humans for that reason, so shouldn't animals have at least some rights?

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10/31/2011
Irving/Tx

Vanessa B.
Bradley/Nimitz
Animals have constitutional rights. They have the same rights just like the humans. Animals should not be treated like slaves and mistreated. They have feelings too and should not be the replacement of the slaves.

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10/31/2011
Sidney, Montana

Tori
Mr. Faulhaber/ Sidney High School
I don't feel animals have constitutional right. The 13th amendment was created to better the lives of slaves (human beings). If animals had constitutional rights then they shouldn't have been used to help people back in the day with work or used for entertainment.

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10/31/2011
Irving/Texas

Carmen
Bradley/Nimitz
In my opinion, I think that the 13th Amendment, could include animals. If you put yourself in the animals position and you were kept in the zoo after being taken from your family in the wild where you belong, it's inhumane if you ask me. Once you take an animal from it's natural habitat, you change the way it lives. If you ever put it back into the wold after being captive for so long, it would die because we took its natural animal instinct of how to survive away from them when we took the responsibility to feed and take care of it. Yes, the 13th amendment applies to animals too. Why? They are another form of life just like every race of humanity on the world. If we classified animals as non-living, we would be lying to ourselves just to make us feel better when the animal is being tortured and it dies, just like the slave holders did. They told themselves that the slaves were not like themselves.

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10/30/2011
Irving/TX

Mariah B.
Ms. Bradley/Nimitz
No, animals do not have the same constitutional rights as humans. The constitution was written by our founding fathers to protect the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of the HUMAN citizens of our great nation. PETA should not be utilizing our amendments because they want orcas to be released from Sea World, a long-time world attraction famous for its sea animals. There is a line between the abolishment of slavery and whales being kept at Sea World. Yes, I think that animals shouldn't be treaty cruelly, but the whales aren't being killed, they are simply attractions at an aquatic park. PETA cannot sanely compare human slavery, an exceedingly horrendous act for not only black people, but a plethora of races, to whales living in ginormous water tanks and fed a surfeit of fish daily without even having to try to hunt. In practically every way, the life of these whales is better than what slaves had to endure, so the situations are not the same.

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10/30/2011
Candor

Aubrie
Mrs. Eckerson
Animals do have rights- but they aren't constitutional, nor do they need to be. Animals are protected under separate laws and there are punishments in place if those laws are broken. There are groups of people whose job is to investigate animal cruelty cases and take care of those animals who are cruelly treated. I thinkk PETA is taking the situation too seriously if they are taking Sea World to court on the basis of animals' constitutional rights. However, the orcas are probably not happy and changes to their environment would likely benefit them.

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10/28/2011
Watertown MA

Giovanni
Mr.Rimas/ Watertown High
Animals and humans are completely different in the sense of civil rights. I say no, animals do not have constitutional rights. Are you telling me that I should understand and accept a way an animal expresses itself the way first amendment protects a human? Yeah, we probably shouldn't be slaughtering massive amounts of chicken each year but think about the next time you go to your fast food joint. You can't tell me that you would reject a super size helping of a chicken sandwich when its so cheap and efficient. Right now chickens in the millions are being trapped and forced to reproduce purely for the reason to get slaughtered and made for the food industry. The only ones to blame for this is ourselves. Fast Food and chicken especially have a HUGE demand in our American society and i say please continue, I love Burger king. OK lets get back to the topic. "Do animals have a constitutional rights." Sorry don't get me wrong I love all 3 of my dogs with a passion but they don't have constitutional rights.

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10/28/2011
Watertown

Alex
Mr. Rimas
Ya i think so

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10/28/2011
Watertown MA

Sean
Mr. Rimas/Watertown High School
I think that animals do not have constitutional right. This is because rights are for citizens of the United States that are humans, not animals. The 13th amendment was made for freeing the slaves, not animals. However, i think that it should be illegal to harm animals in any way or take them out of their natural habitat.

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10/28/2011
Watertown/MA

Kristin
Mr. Rimas/Watertown High School
Animals do have rights and should never be harmed. No where in the constitution does it say that it excludes animals. I can see why certain people would think the whales are being held like slaves but in my personal opinion, if they are being taken care of the right way and treated well then they are fine, the 13th Amendment doesn't really apply to them. Obviously, if the animals are not doing well in captivity, then they should not be, but if they whales seem perfectly fine in every aspect i think the whole situation is fine.

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10/28/2011
Watertown/MA

Kristin
Mr. Rimas/Watertown High School
Animals do have rights and should never be harmed. No where in the constitution does it say that it excludes animals. I can see why certain people would think the whales are being held like slaves but in my personal opinion, if they are being taken care of the right way and treated well then they are fine, the 13th Amendment doesn't really apply to them. Obviously, if the animals are not doing well in captivity, then they should not be, but if they whales seem perfectly fine in every aspect i think the whole situation is fine.

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10/28/2011
Watertown, Ma

Krysta
Mr. Rimas/ Watertown High School
I believe animals do have rights. Us humans are animals, mammals, correct? We do share similar things of course on a different degree. Animals should not be abused with out a punishment for the person doing it to them. Animals cannot talk like we can but they are still living creatures. They have feelings, a brain and a heart. To some degree animals should have rights just like us humans, it is only fair.

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10/28/2011
Watertown, MA

Kimberley
Rimas/Watertown High School
Animals most definitely have rights among all others. The 13th amendment does not say anything about excluding animals in being harmed or treated badly. It says that in the United States no subject should be treated unfairly or wrong. Hurting and keeping animals is unconstitutional to the 13th amendment, no animal should ever be harmed.

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10/28/2011
Watertown,MA

Joe
Mr. Rimas/Watertown High School
I personally think that animals do have some rights to a certain extent, which is they should not be harmed thats the only rights i think animals should have. BUT if they are not being harmed i don't see a problem with this whole situation. I think that the 13th Amendment in a way applys to the whales but at the same time i dont because they are not humans. I also think that laws only refers to humans because an animal cant go pick up a weapon and hurt someone or thing, but humans can.