Cass Sunstein : Animal Rights Zealot in the White House

FUR COMMISSION USA COMMENTARY, MARCH 10, 2009

Cass Sunstein : Animal Rights Zealot in the White House

Should animal ag be concerned by Barack Obama’s appointee to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs? This post, referred to as the new administration’s “Regulatory Czar”, will be filled by Cass Sunstein, a man with a track record of speaking out in favor of animal rights.

Harvard Law School professor Sunstein has been described as having “the legal mind of Chief Justice John Roberts and the animal-rights agenda of Ingrid Newkirk” (Townhall.com). He organized the “Chicago Project on Animal Treatment Principles” at the University of Chicago, and now has the political clout to push for an overhaul of the way federal government regulates everything we do with animals.

Here are some of the radical ideas he’s put on record, including giving animals the legal right to sue people:

“Animals should be permitted to bring suit, with human beings as their representatives, to prevent violations of current law … Any animals that are entitled to bring suit would be represented by counsel, who would owe guardian like obligations and make decisions, subject to those obligations, on their clients’ behalf.” (In Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions, 2004)

“There should be extensive regulation of the use of animals in entertainment, scientific experiments, and agriculture.” (In a working paper while at University of Chicago Law School, 2002)

“We ought to ban hunting, I suggest, if there isn’t a purpose other than sport and fun. That should be against the law. It’s time now.” (In a presentation at Harvard University, 2007)

“Many consumers would be willing to pay something to reduce the suffering of animals used as food. The problem is that existing markets do not disclose the relevant treatment of animals, even though that treatment would trouble many consumers. Steps should be taken to promote disclosure, so as to fortify market processes and to promote democratic discussion of the treatment of animals. In the context of animal welfare, a serious problem is that people’s practices ensure outcomes that defy their existing moral commitments. A disclosure regime could improve animal welfare without making it necessary to resolve the most deeply contested questions in this domain.” (In Animal rights without controversy, 2007)

See also:

Sept. 10, 2009: David Martosko of the Center for Consumer Freedom, discusses Cass Sunstein on Glenn Beck show, Fox News.