Rutgers law professor Gary Francione has written extensively about what he refers to as our “moral schizophrenia” regarding animals.  Here’s how he explains the term: “We claim to embrace a moral and legal obligation not to inflict ‘unnecessary’ suffering or death on animals. We can, of course, debate the meaning of ‘necessity,’ but whatever it means, it must rule out suffering and death imposed for reasons of human pleasure, amusement, or convenience.”

Probably the easiest way to understand what Professor Francione means is to logically consider our dietary choices.

1. Consuming the flesh of animals causes them to suffer and die. Except for eggs from your own backyard chickens, consuming the eggs and milk of animals causes them to suffer and most of them to die by slaughter when their productivity is spent.  If you have any doubt about this suffering and death, please read Peter Singer’s “Animal Liberation” and/or watch the movie “Dominion” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQRAfJyEsko&t=73s.
2. Consuming animal flesh, eggs, and dairy is not necessary for our health. In fact, it harms us.  It is especially detrimental to our cardiovascular health.  “In [a] randomized clinical trial of the cardiometabolic effects of omnivorous vs vegan diets in identical twins, the healthy vegan diet led to improved cardiometabolic outcomes compared with a healthy omnivorous diet. Clinicians can consider [the vegan] dietary approach as a healthy alternative for their patients.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38032644/  Anyone switching to a vegan diet should consult their health care provider and ask about the appropriate vegan supplements for Vitamins D and B12.
3. Given that a healthy vegan diet is better for our health, and given that eating vegan prevents animal suffering and death, why would we eat anything other than vegan food? As Professor Francione explains, if we are truly opposed to unnecessary animal suffering and death, then surely we will avoid exploiting our animal kin for purposes of human pleasure (including palate pleasure), amusement, or convenience.

This work of non-harm is in keeping with the powerful words of our Unitarian Universalist Interdependence value: “We covenant to protect Earth and all beings from exploitation. We will create and nurture sustainable relationships of care and respect, mutuality and justice. We will work to repair harm and damaged relationships.”

It is very unlikely that any of us will ever be inside a slaughterhouse, where the need to save animals from horrible suffering and death is so urgent and obvious.  Our opportunities to save animals come instead when we’re shopping at the grocery store and ordering at the restaurant. It is my great joy to invite you to enter more deeply into our Interdependence covenant, to become a hero for animals, so all of us can do our part in ending their suffering, exploitation, and death.  Bright blessings to you and to all the animals.

–Elizabeth DeCoux, BBUUC Animal Chaplain