the devil is in the details
WHAT rights "should be conveyed to our Great Ape brethren", in your opinion? Personally, I find the term "brethren" applied to great apes to be insulting and ridiculous, but am not opposed to animal cruelty laws tailored to different species/genera/families/classes/etc., based upon the animals' cognitive abilities. Laws governing animal-based medical research should additionally, IMHO, take into account the human need. To give two examples: I'm opposed to the routine blinding of rabbits to test new formulations of mascara. (But then, I think mascara is ridiculous, so I guess I'm biased.) However, I would not be opposed to final testing of an artificial pancreas using chimps, especially if they were 1) bred for the purpose (rather than captured from the wild); 2) otherwise treated humanely; and 3) allowed to live out their lives if the operation worked.
These are judgment calls. Granting human rights to animals (as some activists demand) would be wrong, for many reasons.
