In Panama, legal rights given to sea turtles, boosting the ‘rights of nature’ movement

Associated Press ^ | May 24, 2023 | Jennifer McDermott and Arnulfo Franco

[Olog-hai]

On a Panamanian beach long after dark, a group of undergraduate students dug into the sand to excavate a sea turtle nest, their lamps casting a soft red glow as they studied eggs, inventoried the success of the hatch and checked for any surviving hatchlings stuck at the bottom of the nest. Nearby, armed members of the National Border Service stood watch for protection in an area known for drug trafficking.

The students worked under the guidance of Callie Veelenturf, who founded a group that works to protect leatherback turtles and pushed for a new law in Panama that guarantees sea turtles the legal right to live and have free passage in a healthy environment.

The new law “will allow any Panamanian citizen to be the voice of sea turtles and defend them legally,” Veelenturf said in a text message as she boarded a plane to Panama City after her group’s work near Armila. “We will be able to hold governments, corporations, and public citizens legally accountable for violations of the rights of sea turtles.”

When Panama’s president signed the law in March, it was a victory for people who have long argued that wild animals should have so-called rights of nature that recognize their legal right to exist and to flourish, and allow for lawsuits if those rights are violated. Experts hope it’s part of an evolution that will see other countries take similar steps to protect species under threat. …

[BenLurkin]

"the voice of sea turtles"

[Leaning Right]

> legal rights given to sea turtles… <

In a way, I’m happy to read this. My pet sea turtle Max has been voting straight Democrat since the 1970s. And I’ve always objected, because Max is not a human.

But now that I know that Max has legal rights, I can move on and let it go.

[TonyinLA]

Taxes are next for our shelled compatriots.

[lee martell]

That’s silly. What about the Turtle-ettes?
Do they also get to vote, pre hatch date, if need be?

[Scrambler Bob]

If I find a rich one, and get married, do I get custody of 1/2 of the Pacific ocean?

[hinckley buzzard]

Way back in the early 60’s a Supreme Court Justice named William O. Douglas, a notorious liberal, opined that the time would come when ‘Trees would have standing to sue.” Nobody gave it a second thought, dismissing it as the ravings of a senescent crackpot. Now….

[No name given]

Animals do not think like we do! Therefore, they should have no rights whatsoever! Don’t go thinking I’m justifying animal abuse, because I am not and would never do that!

[MAGAthon]

all part of the same madness:

22 May: MRC: STUDY: AP Pushes Woke Terms Across 64 Climate Stories After $8M Grant from Leftist Orgs
by Joseph Vazquez and Luis Cornelio; MRC Business intern Renata Kiss contributed to this report.
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/business/joseph-vazquez/2023/05/22/study-ap-pushes-woke-terms-across-64-climate-stories-after

23 May: Substack: A Conduit for Eco-Money Laundering and Crime
How the Climate Emergency Fund justifies their actions
by ROBERT W MALONE MD, MS
“We need to wake up,” said Margaret Klein Salamon, executive director of the U.S.-based Climate Emergency Fund (CEF), which has channeled millions of dollars to 95 “disruptive activism” groups since it was set up in 2019...
https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/a-conduit-for-eco-money-laundering

[metmom]

When Panama’s president signed the law in March, it was a victory for people who have long argued that wild animals should have so-called rights of nature that recognize their legal right to exist and to flourish, and allow for lawsuits if those rights are violated.

More *rights* for animals than for US citizens.

[Paal Gulli]

Blasphemy.

Rights are rewards for shouldering responsibilities. What responsibilities do turtles have?

[FlingWingFlyer]

These are the same Millies and Zeros who kill babies.