Justifying Animal Rights In this society, it is required by law that all people enjoy the fundamental rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As stated, this only benefits humans, where humans rule the world. So where do animal rights come from? Many people don't understand animal rights, how we should treat them equally and why. Through animal research and testing, humans gain benefits and gains in obscene and inhumane ways; the poor animals suffer pain and anguish, even though they have moral status and rights. A right is a particular way of protecting interests, to say that an interest is protected by a right is to say that the interest is protected from being ignored or violated simply because this will benefit someone else. So what are animal rights? Animal rights is the idea that animals have the same rights as humans, to live without suffrage, as important as living individuals, and with the same moral status as humans. According to Doris Lin, animal rights attorney and vice president of legal affairs for the Bear Education and Resource Group, “They have the right to be free from oppression, confinement, use and abuse by humans” . However, rights are not absolute in the sense that their protection has no exceptions. David DeGrazia, author of numerous academic books on animal rights that address ethical and philosophical issues, explained that animal rights may be unfamiliar to most people due to the daily abuse and killing of animals that are considered socially acceptable and unconsciously ignored due to normal everyday life. -daily activities and even festivals with killing animals for fun. (12) Animal abuse can range from animal experimentation and testing… the focus of the article… from an animal rights perspective, animals, like humans, have rights in the “sense that prevails over utility." The sense of abuse of utility has a vital interest that we must not ignore, even in the attempt to maximize utility for society. (Animal Rights, 20) Every year billions of animals are slaughtered, mistreated and damaged; causing them enormous amounts of pain, suffering and distress. It is wrong for humans to cause widespread harm to animals without compelling reason, on the grounds that they have moral status. We have obligations to animals, and these are not simply based on human interests. However, issues of moral status and equal consideration are much more fundamental and far-reaching in terms of practical impact, as DeGrazia argued. (38) Animals have the same moral status and rights as humans and are certainly worthy of our consideration in their lives.