Animals as Property

Professor Francione argues that the property status of animals renders meaningless animal welfare laws that prohibit the infliction of “unnecessary” suffering and require the “humane” treatment of nonhumans. Professor Francione’s book, Animals, Property, and the Law (Temple University Press, 1995), provided the first legal analysis of the property status of animals and was described by Tom Regan as a “work of unquestionable historic importance.”