The Center for the Expansion of Fundamental Rights (CEFR) argues that at least some nonhuman animals should have basic legal rights. At CEFR's core is supporting scientific evidence, much of which is currently known only to a cadre of experts in scientific subdisciplines. Making the argument is the first step toward informing policymakers, judges, and the public about what is known, and therefore, attaining the goal. CEFR is committed to the legal argument for the dignity and rights of nonhuman animals.
Tens of millions of nonhuman animals are annually used in biomedical research, hundreds of millions in entertainment and hunting, for clothing, fur, leather, and numerous other human activities. Generally, law divides the physical universe into persons and things. Things are objects over which a person exercises a legal right. Personhood is the legal shield that protects against human tyranny; without it, one is helpless. Legally, persons count, things don't. Until, and unless, a nonhuman animal becomes a legal person, he or she will remain invisible to civil law.