P. Michael Conn notes (registration required, free) in the current issue of The Scientist that 73 percent of U.S. law schools now offer either an animals rights course or sponsor a student animal rights group, and suggests that this engagement with animal rights means a clash with medical research may be on on the horizon.
Over half of US law schools now have animal law courses, including many in universities with medical and research programs that utilize animals protected by federal welfare laws. Courses that promote standards for humane animal care and welfare are unlikely to provoke conflict, but programs championing animal rights or “liberation” set up adversarial potential on campuses and pose a serious risk to the future of animal research. The use of the law instead of violence and threats, however, should be acknowledged as a forward step....Under current US law, things are either property or persons. Legal rights for animals require the establishment of personhood; property cannot have rights. US welfare laws view animals as property, but emphasize our responsibility to care for them humanely. The effort to ascribe “personhood” to animals is a central focus of animal rights supporters, since changing public perception of animals is one way to stop their use in food, clothing, entertainment, and research. In some jurisdictions, “pet owner” has been replaced by “animal guardian,” ascribing a different status for the animal. References to animal researchers as “vivisectors” who “exploit” “sentient beings” and practice “torture” and “cruelty” (applied generally to research), also impact the public.
What does the increasing recognition of animal rights mean for magicians? Possibly, "stop pulling on those rabbit ears" and "quit ruffling those dove feathers." Humane treatment of animals in magic acts is not the same thing as not using animals at all. Teller might have to cease and desist (yes, double-barrelled--"cease" from Middle English via the old French and "desist" from the Latin) turning those coins into real goldfish. Abandoning the trick would be too bad. It's an elegant illusion. Maybe he could substitute fake goldfish, battery-powered. Solar might be even more fun.
If you're interested in the animals in magic topic, Law and Magic: A Collection of Essays, due out in January 2010, includes two essays on animal law and stage magic, one by Rebekah Hanley of the University of Oregon and one by Lisa Johnson of the University of Puget Sound. (I know, shameless plug...).
