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| No | 40% | 150 votes | Total: 372 votes | |
| Yes | 60% | 222 votes |
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Add to FavoritesMandatory Spay/Neuter Laws (MSN) are quickly rising to the front in the current trend of pet limitation laws. MSN is geared towards easing the pet over-population that has millions of animals dying each year. In theory, MSN would work wonders in the fight to end the need for kill-shelters. Theory and reality are two different things though.
The first issue with MSN laws is that they do not address feral cats or stray dogs. They are instead aimed at pet owners who may or may not be responsible about their animals. These laws are usually poorly written with plenty of loopholes. A fee is charged for 'breeding licenses' which many responsible breeders wouldn't be able to afford. Responsible breeders don't make money on the puppies and frequently come out behind their expenses. Puppy millers and backyard breeders would be able and willing to pay that fee though. This results in an influx of low-quality, unhealthy animals. Another loophole is that people who provide notes from their vet's office saying their dog is not medically sound enough to neuter are exempt. Those who show their pets in confirmation would have to produce documentation that they show their animal and potentially pay a fee as well.
Another issue is enforcement. How in the world do the politicians and supporters of these laws plan on making sure they are followed? Most states are not equipped with enough law enforcement agents to enforce laws currently on the books. If those laws were being upheld their would be very little need for new ones like BSL and MSN. It is not feasible that Animal Control is going to go house-to-house asking for paperwork that the animal is altered or medically unfit to be altered. Therefore the law is a waste of ink and paper.
Add to the above the fact that a few of the MSN laws that have passed actually mandate early spay/neuter and another huge issue rears it's ugly head. Early gonadectomy is shown to lead to joint, bone, weight and behavioral issues later on in an animals life. The hormones removed by sterilization ARE needed for proper growth/development. Forcing people to put their animals health at risk to obey a law is horrifying.
And the final issue, perhaps the largest one for many pet owners is the fact that these laws open the door for further violation of our personal freedom. Responsible pet owners will get their animals desexed without a law saying they have to. By law, animals are considered property. By allowing the Government to trample over our rights, as citizens, to own and use property as we see fit we allow them to become more liberal in their systematic removal of our constitutional rights.
In summary, instead of pushing for more laws added to the ones already in place we need to stand up and push for better enforcement of the ones we have. Mandatory Spay/Neuter laws jeopardize our rights, the health of our animals and they are fairly ineffective in general.
VOTE NO TO MANDATORY SPAY/NEUTER LAWS!
Learn more about this author, Skathock Motyka.
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Yes
Having mandatory laws on spaying animals is a good idea. The laws are the first step in solving a lot of the animal overpopulation problems. However, there will also be complications that can arise from the laws. One problem is going to be with the people who love their pets deeply but cannot afford to spay them or pay any tickets.
The overpopulation of animals not just a problem for humans, but for the animals, too. Shelters are becoming similar to our jail system with a marked difference. Animals do not get parole after their sentence is served. Animals were not meant to be in cages. It is not fair to the animals to have to sit in a confined space when they should be able to run and play. The animals that are not adopted are put to sleep. They have no chance at life and no chance to experience a loving family.
People are silly creatures. People choose to drop their pets off in the wild rather than take the pets to the shelter. Many people think that the animals will have a better chance at life. This is not true. Most pets can no longer take care of themselves. They require human intervention.
People think that because cats hunt mice that they should be able to make it in the wild. This is a very big misunderstanding. The mice and other rodents of towns do not have to worry about predators as much as those of the wild. In the wild, squirrels, mice, and rats are much more skittish and make for harder prey. Cats are just as likely to starve in the wild as a dog.
There is a possibility that those domesticated animals manage to survive. Eventually they will breed. The next generation will breed. And so on. Then you have an overpopulation problem in the wild. Then history would repeat itself and cause tons of problems on the ecology of nature.
Then there are the families who decide to keep their pets. They do not spay or neuter them and soon there is a population crisis in the home. The families may realize that giving pets away free can cause other problems, usually for the pet. They may decide to keep the young and then suddenly have many more mouths to feed. In this case, the family cannot afford the medical care, feeding, watering, and time needed to care for the animals.
Unfortunatel y, many people have lost their jobs. On top of caring for the pets, they cannot afford a dime to put on getting vouchers to spay them. Because of this, there is a problem with legally enforcing the care of animals.
There have to be better ways to obtain vouchers to protect the animals that people love. Many people have taken advantage of systems that were placed to aid those who could not afford the vouchers. Unfortunately, that had an impact on the animal population. Now more than ever, we need those systems back. The people with no money are the ones who pay for this.
What is worse is that the idea of legally enforcing spaying or neutering animals may be too little too late. Already there is an animal overpopulation problem. Too few people are aware of this crisis and even fewer people care about it.
However, if several states and countries took it upon themselves to actually enforce spaying and neutering of animals there is a chance to regain control of the animal population problem. Also making options for spaying and neutering their pets more generally available would be a big step in the right direction.
Learn more about this author, Chrystina Trulove.
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