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7 Regent J. Int'l L. 165 (2009-2010)
Welcome to Primates' Paradise, Human Rights Not Allowed: Unravelling the Great Ape Project

handle is hein.journals/regjil7 and id is 167 raw text is: WELCOME TO PRIMATES' PARADISE, HUMAN RIGHTS NOT ALLO WED: UNRA VELLING THE GREAT APE PROJECT By Antionette Duck* INTRODUCTION Is man simply the perfection of the ape?' Some believe that man is intrinsically valuable, that he possesses an essence unlike any other creature, and thus possesses a value greater than that of the ape. Others believe that man is neither special nor unique, and when man describes himself as human, he is merely using an adjective to describe his animal nature.2 Thus, once man admits he is not the only being that possesses certain abilities, he will finally realize that the line between human beings and great apes is not sharp but blurred.3 Indeed, the de- bate between man and the ape raises difficult questions while yielding equally alarming implications. How do we balance animal protections with what appears to be an increasing threat to human dignity? How much value should we grant to the animal? Moreover, how will a shift in our view of the animal affect our view of human beings? This Article examines the Great Ape Project (GAP), a project that has existed with a single purpose: to grant certain fundamental human rights to great apes, specifically the chimpanzee (and its cousin * Juris Doctor 2010, Regent University School of Law; B.A., 2004, Univer- sity of Notre Dame. I sincerely thank my Lord and Creator, for enabling my mind to think, my hand to write, for my value and equipping me to share the truth of that value with others; Regent Law Professor Kathleen McKee for her overwhelming generosity, abundant enthusiasm and inspiring direction; Lee Metzger for his in- credible, hilarious insight; and my mother, for her unwavering faithfulness, ceaseless encouragement and challenge to embrace what is true. MORTIMER J. ADLER, How TO THINK ABOUT THE GREAT IDEAS 51 (Max Weismann ed., 2000). 2 Jane Goodall, Remarks on the Evolving Legal Status of Chimpanzees, Symposium at Harvard University, in 9 ANIMAL L. 1, 10 (2003) [hereinafter Evolv- ing Legal Status]. The Jane Goodall Institute, So Like Us, http://www.janegoodall.ca/about- chimp-so-like-us.php (last visited Feb. 17, 2009).