The Legislature is planning to spend its next session revising Taiwan’s Constitution, and animal rights groups are pushing for the final product to include text protecting animals.
On Wednesday, representatives from various animal rights groups held an event to promote enshrining animal rights in the Constitution. In attendance were several lawmakers representing different parties.
During the event, the secretary-general of the Taiwan Animal Protection Monitor Network said that despite meetings with President Tsai Ing-wen and political party representatives in June, animal rights are not yet a priority in any party’s proposals for constitutional reform. The secretary-general called on lawmakers to put forward proposals for enshrining animal rights in the Constitution.
Meanwhile, the chief executive of the Taiwan SPCA said that a number of countries have legally designated animals as sentient beings rather than goods, and that Taiwan should join this growing international trend.
So far, animal rights groups say that two lawmakers have drawn up proposals to protect animal rights in the Constitution, while three others have promised to do so.