Please Sign and Endorse
Human Rights are well known and globally recognized through the United Nations on earth. However, the rights of non-human sentient beings are often marginalized or misrepresented. In truth, we do not require separate “Human Rights” and “Animal Rights,” because all humans are animals, and all animals capable of subjective experience are sentient persons with our own interests, emotions, consciousness, and intrinsic value.
This declaration provides a single, unified framework to replace fragmented and often speciesism based, human-only and animal-only rights systems. It applies equally to humans and to non-human animals, because its basis is not human supremacy in society, but sentience and science.
SCOPE: These rights protect the core interests of all sentient animals (also termed individuals/ persons/ people or sentient living beings, who are born on earth or elsewhere), whether human or non human, regardless of species, intelligence, physical form, or abilities. These rights are not negotiable and universal. They are not limited by any religious belief or belief system. Any denial of these rights can be counted as an abuse or injustice and must be considered as a crime to be abolished. Ideally we would like these rights to be recognized in law in every nation globally and by United Nations.
NOTE: These rights of any individual do not include anyone having rights to take away these universal rights of any other individual.
I. BASIC FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS
(Basic, fundamental, universal and inherent rights of all individual sentient animals)
1. Right to Life
Every sentient animal, human or non human, has the right to live for their entire natural lifespan, and not be intentionally killed, except in unavoidable circumstances such as genuine self-defence or accidents.
2. Right to Bodily Integrity
Protection from mutilation, forced impregnation, modification, forced contact, handling, restraint, unwanted touch, molestation, or any physical violation except for genuine medical necessity in the individual’s welfare.
3. Right to Freedom from Objectified Use
No sentient animal may be treated as property, object, tool, resource, commodity, slave, or product to be kept, owned, or used by someone.
4. Right to Freedom from Exploitation
No individual may be exploited for labour, entertainment, breeding, domestication, farming, harvesting, production, experimentation, reproduction, milking, ovulation, trade, stealing from, or extraction, for another’s gain.
5. Right to Freedom from Being Kept or Confined
No individual may be held, kept, restrained, caged, imprisoned, or transported against their natural needs, choices, or free will, except when essential, such as for rescue, safety, or urgent medical needs, no matter how big or enriched the space is where they are held, or how well they are treated.
6. Right to Freedom from Oppression or Wilful Harm
All individuals deserve peace and protection from violence, control, coercion, control, domination, torture, bullying, stalking, harassment, degradation, wilful neglect, punishment, rape, undue stress, trauma, intimidation, pain, suffering, distress, starvation, physical or psychological torment and all forms of abuse, suppression, or oppression.
7. Right to Equality and Freedom from Discrimination
No individual may be denied respect, consideration, fair treatment, or rights based on species, appearance, intelligence, productivity, behaviour, or human preferences.
II. AUTONOMY AND PERSONAL FREEDOMS
(Individual Rights of All Sentient Animals, whether Human or Non Human)
8. Right to Autonomy, Mind, Free Will, and Preference
The right to independent thought, intention, instinct, desire, identity, and will—free from coercion, manipulation, or forced conditioning.
9. Right to Natural Expression and Behaviour
The right to communicate, vocalize, move, explore, and behave in species-appropriate and personally chosen ways that don’t infringe over rights of others.
10. Right to Privacy and Personal Space
The right to solitude, boundaries, safety, residence, security, and protected personal zones.
11. Right to Social Relationships and Association
The right to, as per mutual consent, interact, form bonds, families, friendships, groups, communities, or herds, pods, flocks on their own; and for mutual respect, social support, and symbiotic harmony, and the right not to be isolated without necessity.
12. Right to Movement, Migration, and Habitat
The right to roam freely, travel, migrate, choose shelter, choose their path, claim territory, and live in a suitable natural or chosen environment, without abusing rights of others.
III. QUALITY OF LIFE RIGHTS
(Rights pertaining to the well-being, flourishing and personal fulfillment of every individual sentient living being)
13. Right to Access Basic Needs
The right to access one’s food, water, air, light, shelter, warmth, all necessary resources for survival, growth, activity or work, and essential self-care, safety, freedom from extreme environments, safety from pollution and other harmful conditions
14. Right to Health, Healing, Rescue, and Care
The right to access basic care, medical treatment, rescue, rehabilitation, sanctuary, rehabilitation, stewardship, fair conditions, and protection from illness, injurity, fear, threats, insecurity or danger.
15. Right to Rest, Sleep, Comfort, and Recuperation
The right to rest without stress, harm, or disturbance in your own space.
16. Right to Play, Enrichment, and Pleasure
The right to joy, stimulation, comfort, interaction, exploration, and species-appropriate or personally desired activities that don’t take away anyone else’s rights.
17. Right of Learning and Cognitive Development
The right to curiosity, exploration, mental growth, learning or education, self-development, and meaningful experience in ways that benefit self and don’t abuse the rights of others.
18. Right to a Safe Environment
The right to an environment free from unnecessary toxins, excessive pollution, habitat destruction, and avoidable threats.
IV. GROUP RIGHTS AND ECOLOGICAL RIGHTS
(Collective rights necessary for species and social well-being of sentient living beings)
19. Right of Families and Social Units
Parents, offspring, herds, packs, colonies, pods, flocks, and bonded groups have a right to remain together, safeguard each other, and to look after each other, especially the best interest of children and vulnerable individuals. Individuals also have the right to break free from any group or family should they so choose or if it is in their best interests.
20. Right to Cultural and Species-Specific Behaviours
Species may maintain natural lifestyles, migration routes, communication, and social structures in ways that don’t infringe upon the rights of other individuals.
21. Right to Habitat and Ecosystem Protection
All sentient living beings have the right to live in stable ecosystems protected from needless or senseless destruction, pollution, deforestation, biodiversity loss, risk of extinction and ecological collapse.
22. Right to Exist as a Species
No species may be intentionally eradicated, genetically manipulated for exploitation, or driven to extinction by the deliberate actions of another.
V. LEGAL AND MORAL RIGHTS
(Sentient living beings as a protected legal category)
21. Right to Non-Property Legal Status
All sentient living beings must be legally recognised as individuals — not property.
22. Right to Legal Protection and Enforcement of Rights
Courts and laws must safeguard the rights of sentient living beings equally and universally.
23. Right to Moral Agency and Participation
Right to participate, directly or indirectly, in decisions affecting one’s life, interests, welfare, and rights.
24. Right to Representation
Where an individual cannot advocate for themselves, guardians, activists, or institutions may represent their interests, legally, ethically and morally.
25. Right to Protest
The right to challenge rights violations, protest against injustice in a reasonable way, educate and raise awareness, request justice, appeal to laws, and seek remedies when rights are denied.
Your signature has been counted
PLEASE SHARE THE ABOVE WIDELY AND HELP US PROPOSE THIS AS A BILL OF RIGHTS OR TREATY
ALSO PLEASE LEARN MORE ABOUT VEGANISM, AND KINDLY TAKE THE VEGAN PLEDGE
AN IMPORTANT FUTURE BASED CONSIDERATION (UP FOR DISCUSSION)
Wherever we live, in any nation or geographic location, and whether on earth or space, we are bound to be sharing the world with various sentient species, including possible extraterrestrial animals in the future. In theory this framework could apply to all sentient animals including humans, ETs, and arguably even potentially sentient AIs (open for discussion as per a new suggestion received independently by AI upon sharing the draft with one called Chat GPT). This understanding and declaration, helps us in safeguarding our own interests as earthlings, while also co-existing in harmony with any other sentient lifeforms besides the known.
Sentientism is an extension of Veganism and recognises rights of all sentient beings whether humans, non humans, aliens, or any other sentient beings including potential sentient AI or machines.
- Should only Human and Non Human Animals across various species of Sentient Living Beings have such rights?
- Should these rights also be extended to Sentient beings such as Sentient AI or machines?
Do let us know what you think in the comments below?
Earth Healing Network 