Humane Society of the United States

In Their Own Words

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has this to say ...

HSUS national membership conference, 1980

It was formally resolved that HSUS would "pursue on all fronts ... the clear articulation and establishment of the rights of all animals ... within the full range of American life and culture." In Animal Rights and Human Obligations, the published proceedings of this conference, HSUS stated unequivocally that "there is no rational basis for maintaining a moral distinction between the treatment of humans and other animals."

Aldworth, Rebecca
Director, Humane Society International/Canada

"But we are opposed to commercial trade in wildlife products because commercial trade in wildlife products leads to extreme cruelty, industrial scale slaughters that often compromise the populations of the animals."
(Speaking at a news conference to "discuss ending the commercial seal hunt", Ottawa, Canada, Apr. 21, 2009)

Fox, Michael W.
With HSUS 1976-2002, retiring as Senior Scholar, Bioethics; Full bio.

(Expressing opposition to use of bug sprays) "Only a few of the million you kill would have bitten you."
(In Returning to Eden, Fox publication)

"Anthropocentrism, regarding human kind as the very center and pinnacle of existence, is a disease of arrested development."
(Speech "A Vision Shared: What We Are Fighting For," to the World Congress for Animals, Washington, D.C., June 20, 1996)

"We are not superior. There are no clear distinctions between us and animals."
(Washingtonian Magazine, February 1990)

"The life of an ant and that of my child should be granted equal consideration."
(In Inhumane Society, 1990)

"The life of an ant and the life of my child should be accorded equal respect."
(Associated Press, Jan. 15, 1989)

"Human care (of animals) is simply sentimental, sympathetic patronage."
(Newsweek interview, 1988)

"Man is the most dangerous, destructive, selfish and unethical animal on earth."
(Quoted in The Intellectual Activist, Sept. 14, 1983)

Goodwin, J.P.

The following quotes were made during Goodwin's time with the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade. However, he was working for Wayne Pacelle of the HSUS as early as 1997. (Blunt CEO defends Humane Society from attack dogs, Press-Telegram, (Long Beach, CA), Aug. 25, 2007.) Goodwin has described himself as an "ALF graduate" (Anti-fur groups wage war on mink farms, New York Times, Sept. 2, 1996), and as a "former member" of ALF ("Guerrillas say they fight to help liberate animals; FBI considers group's members domestic terrorists", Dallas Morning News, Feb. 15, 1998). See also Careers in the conflict industry: HSUS and the making of a conflict industrialist, FCUSA commentary, Aug. 21, 2001.

"We have found that civil disobedience and direct action has been powerful in generating massive attention in our communities ... and has been very effective in traumatizing our targets."
(National Animal Rights Convention '97, June 27, 1997)

"We're ecstatic," said Goodwin, who believes all living things are equal. "We have no problem with inanimate objects being destroyed so animate objects can survive. We believe life is more valuable than property."
(Quoted in "Activists take credit for Sandy fur fire," by Cala Byram, The Deseret News, Mar. 11, 1997, on learning of a bomb attack that destroyed the Utah Fur Breeders Agricultural Cooperative. A caretaker and his family were asleep in the building at the time.)

"We've started picketing outside the homes of the [department store] executives because these minks on these fur farms never get a chance to go home and relax. Those executives do not deserve a break. They do not deserve to go home and rest."
(Speech "No More Fur: Bringing the Fur Industry To Its Knees," World Congress for Animals, Washington, D.C., June 20, 1996)

"It's time for the animal rights movement to take this industry and drive the final nail into the coffin by whatever means it takes. If that means being outside the executives houses, if that means blockading their doors, whatever it takes."
(Speech "No More Fur: Bringing the Fur Industry To Its Knees," World Congress for Animals, Washington, D.C., June 20, 1996)

"Let it be stated loud and clear, that myself and the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade support these actions 100%. We will never, ever, ever work with anyone who helps the FBI stop the A.L.F.."
(In Fur wars heat up: A.L.F. is on the warpath!" by J.P. Goodwin, on ALF attacks against fur farms, No Compromise, issue 4, 1996)

"My goal is the abolition of all animal agriculture."
(As quoted on AR-Views, an animal rights Internet discussion group)

"If the feed barn, and processing barns are away from the animals, and downwind, then they could be burned down. Otherwise mink releases are the only way to go."
(As quoted on AR-Views, an animal rights Internet discussion group)

See also: HSUS and the Making of a Conflict Industrialist FCUSA commentary on the career of J.P. Goodwin, Aug. 12, 2001.

Pacelle, Wayne
Pacelle grew up in New Haven, CT, and began his animal rights activist career by setting up the Student Animal Rights Coalition at Yale University. In 1988 he became executive director of Fund for Animals, joining HSUS in 1994.

"Like any kind of sophisticated political operation, you use the best research tools in order to drive your message, but in terms of our policy formulations, I can't think of a time that we've done research."

We believe in the Three Rs - reducing the consumption of meat and other animal-based foods; refining the diet by eating products only from methods of production, transport, and slaughter that minimize pain and distress; and replacing meat and other animal-based foods in the diet with plant-based foods."
(Posted in a blog, Mar. 30, 2009, and reproduced in "The three R's of the HSUS agenda," by Susan Crowell, Farm & Dairy Magazine, Apr. 2, 2009)

"I want to achieve greater effectiveness and create an even more powerful organization to advance major social changes. ... I've tried to focus the organization on a few key reforms because I believe the only way we are going to achieve change is by putting enough muscle behind specific campaigns - to change the views of policy-makers, corporate decision-makers, and get issues into the media - and to create a grassroots movement to drive these issues forward. So we're first focusing on factory farming, the greatest of all animal abuses as measured in terms of animals involved and the duration and acuteness of their suffering."
(In an interview with Satya magazine, June 2005)

"Do we want to see an end to the fur industry? I think HSUS offers the best potential to get us there ..."
(In an interview with Satya magazine, June 2005)

"The entire animal rights movement in the United States reacted with unfettered glee at the ban in England ... We view this act of parliament as one of the most important actions in the history of the animal rights movement. This will energise our efforts to stop hunting with hounds." (Quoted in The Times [London], Dec. 26, 2004)

"Public opinion surveys demonstrate time and time again that Americans care about the humane treatment of animals and that sentiment is being translated into policy with several major animal protection provisions in the farm bill."
(Quoted in "More Than Subsidies in Farm Bill," by James Henry, for AgriNews Publications, Illinois, Apr. 25, 2002)

"We have no ethical obligation to preserve the different breeds of livestock produced through selective breeding. ... One generation and out. We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding."
(Quoted in Animal People, May, 1993)

"The definition of obscenity on the newsstands should be extended to many hunting magazines."
(Quoted in Bloodties: Nature, Culture and the Hunt, by Ted Kerasote, p. 266, 1993)

'When asked if he envisioned a future without pets, "If I had my personal view, perhaps that might take hold. In fact, I don't want to see another dog or cat born'."
(Quoted in Bloodties: Nature, Culture and the Hunt, by Ted Kerasote, p. 266, 1993)

"If we could shut down all sport hunting in a moment, we would."
(Quoted in "Impassioned Agitator," Associated Press, Dec. 30, 1991. Doubtless among other publications, this AP article ran in the Kingman Daily Miner (AZ) on the same date. Yet in a June 30, 2009 interview with AgriTalk, Pacelle denied that he ever said this.)

"Our goal is to get sport hunting in the same category as cock fighting and dog fighting. Our opponents say that hunting is a tradition. We say traditions can change."
(Quoted in Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Oct. 8, 1991)

"Only 7% of Americans are hunters. That means there are more of us than there are of them. It is simply a matter of democracy. The majority rules in a democracy. We are going to use the ballot box and the democratic process to stop all hunting in the United States. ... We will take it species by species until all hunting is stopped in California. Then we will take it state by state."
(Interviewed for Full Cry Magazine, "America's leading tree hound publication," Oct. 1, 1990)

Shapiro, Paul

The following quotes by Paul Shapiro were made during his time with Compassion Over Killing, a group he co-founded. In 2005, Shapiro left to work with HSUS.

"... nothing is more important than promoting veganism."
(Addressing the National Student Animal Rights Conference, University of California - Berkeley, Oct. 31, 2004.)

After just 10 weeks at the helm of HSUS, Wayne Pacelle had "already implemented a 'no animal products in the office' policy."
(In a speech entitled "Letting the animals speak for themselves: The importance of undercover investigations", at a seminar hosted by United Poultry Concerns, Aug. 22, 2004.)

Various

"'We want to begin an orderly transition to humane and sustainable agriculture,' said Bedford, who was in California last week raising money for the Iowa campaign [against hog lots]. He said the transition begins with the phase out of livestock confinement buildings."
(Interview with Chris Bedford, HSUS "national campaign coordinator", in "The confinement question", Des Moines Register, Nov. 17, 2002.)

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