After the bill passed unanimously by the Senate, in November 2019, US President Donald Trump signed the Act on the Prevention of Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT). Activists and the general public regard the bill as a great victory.
The new law is a follow-up to the 2010 law, which prohibits the crushing of animals, including the creation and distribution of animal crushing videos.
Co-founder of the Bill
Pat Toomey, who participated in the final version of the law, is thrilled to adopt legislation that protects animals against cruelty. The proposal seeks to stop animal cruelty and also to increase community safety.
Toomey also says that rapists who hurt the animals are not far from moving “level” up and directing their aggressiveness towards humans.
“Evidence shows that the deranged individuals who harm animals often move on to committing acts of violence against people. It is appropriate that the federal government have strong animal cruelty laws and penalties, “said Toomey to BBC.
Reactions of Personalities in the Field
Kitty Block, president and chief executive of the US Humane Society, praised the new federal law.
“PACT makes a statement about American values. Animals are deserving of protection at the highest level. The approval of this measure by the Congress and the president marks a new era in the codification of kindness to animals within federal law. For decades, a national anti-cruelty law was a dream for animal protectionists. Today, it is a reality.”
According to Sara Amundson, head of the Legislative Fund for Humane Societies, this is the adoption of a new law to celebrate.
“After decades of work to protect animals and bearing witness to some of the worst cruelty, it’s so gratifying the Congress and president unanimously agreed that it was time to close the gap in the law and make malicious animal cruelty within federal jurisdiction a felony. We cannot change the horrors of what animals have endured in the past, but we can crack down on these crimes moving forward. This is a day to celebrate,” Amundson stated.
Animals Have Emotions
Animals are living creatures of flesh and bones; they have emotions just like humans. There is no doubt that an abused animal that has to endure severe punishment or shouting gets into mental and physical problems. This was confirmed by scientists in a recent study from Universidade do Porto in Portugal.
Hopefully, other countries will put animals on a human level to protect them from harm.
Source and credit: https://truththeory.com/2019/11/28/bill-making-animal-cruelty-a-federal-felony-is-signed-into-law-in-us/, pixabay.com
