The Empirical Status Quo on the Right to Life (in Austria)

When we think about nonhuman animal rights in general and the right to life in particular, it is interesting to note that there are already certain nonhuman animal species that are granted a right which is somewhat similar to the human right to life, at least in some countries. Consider cows in India who have special protection due to religious causes, for example. In Austria, the killing of dogs and cats for the purpose of obtaining their meat or other products of their bodies is prohibited (Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS) n.d.-a, § 6.2). Although the lives of dogs and cats in Austria are not threatened by human consumption of meat, many of them are legally euthanized.