SD steps forward for animal rights, passes legislation

South Dakota has recently become the 50th state to enact animal protection legislation, making it a felony offense to engage in animal cruelty.

Considered a victory by animal rights activists, the law would address many different issues, one of the most inflammatory being cases of dog fighting.

Despite the recent measures our state has taken to prevent animal cruelty, Abigail Perdue of the Huffington Post argues there are many holes in the legislation that need to be addressed, and that while South Dakota has gone in a positive direction by creating such laws, the fight against animal abuse is far from over.

In her article “A Bone to Pick About Animal Protection Legislation,” Perdue claims most states do not have legislation prohibiting interspecies sexual assault. In addition, a new and horrific trend known as “animal crush videos” has recently come into the public eye.

Small animals, such as kittens or puppies, would be videotaped as they are crushed to death, and even though legislation was created to make these videos illegal, the constitutionality of such a ban has already been called into question.

Perdue later states there is a link between animal abuse and other violent crimes. Those who committed a violent act against an animal were more likely to do so against adults.

There is also a link between animal abuse and domestic violence. A perpetrator was more likely to harm their partner if they had already harmed the family pet as a means for revenge or control.

By persecuting these people, future criminal activity could be prevented and perpetrators could receive the help they need to deal with their violent tendencies, Perdue stated.

Most of us consider animals to be a part of our family. For many, having a pet was influential in their growth as a human being. It is difficult for those of us with decent backgrounds to imagine physically harming an animal that cannot defend itself.

Yet there are people out there who take pleasure in doing so. For South Dakota to enact legislation against animal cruelty is most definitely a positive, but as Perdue stated, we have a long way to go.

Sixty percent of Americans have a pet in their home, and thus it is extremely difficult to research and persecute every instance of animal abuse.

Not being able to save every innocent animal is not a viable excuse for neglecting to draft stricter legislation against animal cruelty.

Also, bestiality should be a punishable offense. A balance between heavier sentences and therapeutic counseling should be offered to perpetrators depending on the case at hand. Animal cruelty cases should be taken seriously — too often are abusers given little to no punishment for their crimes despite the suffering they have caused.

For many, an animal is beneath a human being — their lives are considered less important than our own despite the fact that both animals and humans suffer when neglected and abused.

We reflect that disconnection in the way we legislate against animal cruelty. If we truly wish to stop the violence and neglect, we would be willing to create harsher laws and dole out stricter punishments for abusers.

We have come a long way in making it a felony to engage in abusive behaviors against animals.

Now is the time to fill in the gaps.