In a controversial move decried by groups as diverse as the Catholic Church, human rights organizations and scientists, the environment committee of the Spanish parliament voted to grant limited human rights to chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and bonobos.
Experts predict the law will be approved by the parliament as a whole, at which point it will become illegal to kill one of the protected animals except in self-defense. They couldn't be used in medical experiments (which has AIDS researchers up in arms) or forced to perform in circuses or movies. Apes in zoos wouldn't be freed, but their quality of life would be substantially improved. Naturally, they wouldn't be given all rights, such as the right to vote, but The New York Times says, "Their status would be akin to that of children."
I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I know that we share a little less than 99% of our DNA with chimps, but I would never put one of them on the same level as a human child. So I guess I agree with the deputy program director of Human Rights Watch, Joseph Saunders, who believes that while human rights are still being threatened all over the world, "We're going to keep our focus there."
