Bill Making Animal Cruelty A Federal Felony Passes Unanimously In The House Of Representatives

Nov 19, 2019 by apost team

Many would say that we are seeing an unprecedented time of disagreement in politics. Our politicians are as divided as the people, constantly at war with our words as we all try to make change and keep the things that are good.

It can be hard to feel like the country agrees on just about anything but there is one area that has just received unanimous support, and that is the passing of a law that will make animal cruelty a felony, as written here in The New York Times.

Named PACT, it stands for the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act. With all the things the people have been fighting to change, this is one victory we should not be letting past without celebration.

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Although there is still much work to do in creating a better quality of life for animals in human care, this is a huge step. It is now officially a federal crime to mistreat or torture animals. 

The law decrees that anyone committing acts of animal cruelty will become a felon, face seven years in prison and will have to pay hefty fines.

This bill comes from previous legislation that made it a crime to distribute or film videos that contain animal cruelty. But this law failed to make the act of animal cruelty itself illegal, only the video recording of it.

When this new bill rose, it received undivided support from congress. This may seem like common sense to some, but many laws that seem like common sense fail to pass due to a small minority.

Opposition from industries that allow low-standards to exist for factory-farmed animals was met without a single vote of support. 

One house representative spoke on the subject saying “[it] sends a clear message our society doesn’t accept animal cruelty" as per The New York Times. Across the country, Americans have been heard in their desire to raise the standards for how we treat animals.

Another benefit from this law passing is that it could set the stage for other countries to follow suit and join in making animal cruelty a major crime. This could lead to a greater level of respect for animal rights to spread across the world.

If we can come together to support animal rights, then who knows where else we could make changes to better our society? Spread the word now to help remind others what happens when we take a stand together.