Should Great Apes Have Human Rights? The Debate Explained.

The Spanish government has launched a public consultation on a law that would give great apes – gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, and chimpanzees – basic rights, like humans. This isn’t the first time that Spain has tried to grant apes personhood. In 2008, the re-classification was discussed in parliament but never brought into law. Now, the renewed focus on great ape personhood is forcing scientists and politicians to consider what defines us as “human” at all.

The scientific community has long acknowledged the remarkable cognitive abilities of great apes. Extensive research has demonstrated their complex learning, sophisticated reasoning, and intricate communication systems. The “Great Apes Law” would recognise this unique “human cognitive ability” and our shared genetic similarity, preventing them from being subjected to experiments and commercial exploitation.

Spain is not the first country to consider granting personhood to apes. Currently, “unnecessary” experimentation on great apes is banned in 29 countries including the UK, the EU, and New Zealand. However, the Great Apes Law would take this one step further. The law would ban practices harming “the life, physical integrity, dignity and survival of great apes”. This would ensure safe and humane living conditions and ban commercial and entertainment activities that compromise their dignity.

So, what’s the hold up? The legislation is prompting ethical and philosophical questions about the criteria for assigning rights to animals. What would this law mean for other animals—especially ones which have perceived similarities to humans? Scientists are also debating what research is deemed “necessary”. Some defend the use of great apes in research, they argue that their unique biological similarities to humans make great apes the only equivalent model in brain-related studies, such as Alzheimer’s research.

The Great Apes Law went through its first public consultation earlier this year, but there is still a long parliamentary process ahead. If passed, the legislation could have huge implications for great apes in Spain and beyond. It could help support conservation efforts, to secure a thriving future for our wild cousins.