There are many reasons why people may choose a plant-based diet, from health reasons (A vegan diet is proven to be healthier for you) to environmental reasons (scientific research shows veganism has a much less negative impact on the environment than one including meat). For many people who choose a plant-based diet, it is based on a range of ethical reasons – whether that be religiously motivated or based on their beliefs and morals. Probably the most well-known and widely promoted of the ethical reasons, is that people choose a plan-based diet due to the pain and suffering of animals from breeding, caging, and slaughtering which goes against many people’s morals.
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Minimising Suffering and Protecting Animals.
The main point of a plant-based diet is to minimise exploitation and cruelty to animals – because they have the ability to suffer and experience physical (and many would argue psychological pain as research suggests animals are capable of feeling empathy). Causing animals to suffer by imprisoning them in sub-par conditions before being slaughtered undoubtedly causes suffering to the animal – to many on a plant-based diet, being against causing this suffering seems an obvious moral argument.
Some believe that due to the animals consciousness levels, animals should be afforded the same rights and protections that are given to humans. Due to the fact that many governments have laws protecting the welfare of animals, and that animals are also used to assess the effectiveness of painkillers and other medications, it is clear that the concept of animals feeling pain is accepted.
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Ethical Reasons Relating to the Environment.
Failure to protect our planet has a range of consequences for both humans and animals, as we are all habitants of this earth. It is no secret that farming animals has a bad effect on our environment, which to many on a plant-based diet is ethically unacceptable.
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Ethical Reasons Relating to Children.
Many people pose the question – is it ethically right to give our children processed meat that we know increases the likelihood of a range of health problems? Many believe that it is unethical to continue to farm animals when a growing population is unlikely to be sustained by doing this. They would suggest that human welfare can be harmed by farming and consuming animal products.
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Ethical Reasons from a Religious Stance.
Some people choose a plant-based diet for a range of many reasons, as in some religions the consumption of meat (or particular meats) are prohibited. For example, Muslims do not eat pork and for some, a plant-based diet would give them a wider range of products they are allowed to eat. Religions such as Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism advocate plant-based diets, with many leaders in these religions and a range of others, suggesting that plant-based diets should be encouraged.
One person I spoke to, Ciara Lee, is a student of Law in Maynooth University who practices a plant-based diet, explained to me why exactly she chooses to eat plant-based foods – “it’s a mix between not wanting to harm an animal, environmental reasons and health reasons”, proving the range of reasons there are that may dictate the reasons behind choosing this diet, and the importance of animal welfare to many.
There are many people across the world practicing a plant-based diet, and for many of them there are elements of ethical reasons mixed together to make up their decision in doing so.