Animals as Sentient Beings On Animal Welfare, Public Morality and Ritual Slaughter

The twenty-first century is witnessing a number of initiatives to improve the living conditions of animals - worldwide, at the regional and the national level. While the debate on which status should be granted to animals is still undecided, a consensus has emerged about the need for animal welfare and the (moral and legal) obligations of humans towards non-human animals. Today, animal welfare and our moral obligations towards animals have come to be accepted as part of public morality. This article draws attention to this change in moral and legal thinking over the past decades. The consequences of this change are put to the test with regard to a specific protective measure concerning animals - the prohibition of un-stunned (ritual) slaughter. It will be argued that if public morality in the 21st century does indeed include respect for the welfare of animals, it may serve as a legitimate aim to limit the freedom of religion and with that, the practice of un-stunned ritual slaughter.