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2007 Animal L. Comm. Newsl. 1 (2007)

handle is hein.journals/anilawcn2007 and id is 1 raw text is: Spring 2007 Animal Law Committee WHO SPEAKS FOR THE ANIMALS? By: Wendy Anderson I represent crazy cat ladies. In particular, I represent those who care for stray cats. Yes, the vast majority of these caregivers, in the order of 80%, are women. And yes, many of them wear tennis shoes; some, sweatshirts stamped with paw prints. But in the past two years I have come to realize that these cat ladies have a unique voice that needs to be heard in the public policy debate on legal protections for animals. In particular, the pub- lic needs to know that their definition of protection is rooted in sterilization, not humane killing; and more- over, that they are dedicated to protecting individual animals, and do so at great personal cost. But their voices aren't heard. That women have long been marginalized is a historic fact, and that the legal remedies have been incomplete is a present reality. As lawyers concerned with animal issues, we need to be aware of who is and isn't speaking of animals today, and why. Continued on page 22