European Court Confirms Ethical Veganism Is a Protected Philosophical Belief
The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Switzerland violated the rights of two vegans by failing to provide adequate vegan meals in detention. This landmark decision confirms that ethical veganism and anti-speciesism are protected philosophical beliefs under Article 9, reinforcing the right to freedom of thought and conscience across Europe.
Faced with the applicants' consistent and genuine vegan beliefs and their requests for a vegan diet while deprived of liberty, the authorities were under a positive obligation stemming from Article 9 to address those requests in substance.
- xvxvx
I spent 2 weeks in the UK recently and they are light years ahead of the US in terms of veganism and cruelty free products. I was actually quite shocked about how many options the grocery stores had and how almost every restaurant had a vegan option, or even a vegan menu.
The trend in the US has been to hide the word ‘vegan’ from consumers and bury it in their website somewhere. Not so in the UK. Brands seem super happy about showing which products in their selection are vegan. No list of ‘secretly/accidentally vegan’ products over there, they happily let you know right in the packaging.
People there are generally more aware of veganism too. No need to explain what it is like I constantly do in the US. ‘Can vegans eat eggs?’ What part of ‘no animal products’ don’t you understand?
- burnt-resistor
Not providing vegan options is morally equivalent to forcing Jews to have pork or non-Kosher meals or Muslims pork or non-Halal meals; it's mean spirited, insensitive, and/or disrespectful treatment. Plus, there are many major religious/ethnic groups that skew towards mandatory and high probability of veganism.
PSA: Meat ag is a danger to us all just on rational grounds: antibiotic resistance (bacteria evolution), pandemics (viral evolution), air-water-soil pollution, and climate change. For most Westerners, we have all kinds of food choices that are perfectly nutritious without inflicting all of the risks of unnecessary demand for meat. It will hopefully be eventually viewed in the distant future with such disdain and repugnance as cannibalism or consuming pets or exotic animals.
- Gathering6678
(1) An inmate is not allowed (essentially, by the society) a specific diet dictated by his/her belief; and,
(2) A poor person cannot afford (essentially, because of the society) a nutritious and delicious meal dictated by his/her needs or wants.
What are the differences between them? Are there differences at all?
- joeconway
Good