Comments on: Update: court rules chimp not endowed with human rights

By: Walter Olson

Walter Olson — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 17:32:18 +0000

MattS is right. Though it may sound paradoxical, babies do have legal duties and can be sued, for example over the right to wrongly inherited property. The same is true of older persons who are in a coma or otherwise without the capacity to make decisions.

By: MattS

MattS — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 16:54:56 +0000

@marco73,

The court addresses that. It’s not just that this chimp ‘cannot bear any legal duties’ it’s that no chimp can and they will never be able to do so, unlike your grand son who will eventually be able to bear those legal duties.

It should also be noted, that under long standing law humans with a diminished capacity to meet those legal duties, minors like your grandson and the mentally infirm, do have somewhat diminished rights relative to a healthy adult.

By: Bill O'Conner

Bill O'Conner — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 16:20:38 +0000

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–cEcckqSm–/18s3m4eleldqdjpg.jpg

By: marco73

marco73 — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 13:54:44 +0000

My 7 month old grandson ‘cannot bear any legal duties’.
So according to the court, the difference is what?

By: Kurt

Kurt — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 13:53:03 +0000

My question to the activists is what would have happened if they won? (Just in this case, not the larger implications) Would they have just put the chimp out on the street? Would an activist have taken him into their home? Maybe they were going to apply for welfare for the chimp and set him up in his own apartment? Return him to Africa where he suddenly has to live in the wild?

Crazy.

By: Canvasback

Canvasback — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 01:42:28 +0000

Tommy could not be recognized as a ‘legal person’ as it ‘cannot bear any legal duties.
I love that explanation.
Maybe some wise-guy will take it and run with it. Apply it to the population and see how much trouble he can cause.

By: John

John — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 01:20:10 +0000

But my emotional support pig still has hers, right? She’s much cuter than any chimp.

By: LibertyAtStake

LibertyAtStake — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 20:38:55 +0000

Glad we cleared that up.

By: ras

ras — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 19:16:05 +0000

...entitled to the same rights That's quite the phrase. Quite the phrase.