How Should We Treat Animals, Legally?
Honors Capstone Project
1
Advisor(s)
Dr. Jonathan Spelman
Dr. Jennifer Moore
Confirmation
1
Document Type
Paper
Location
ONU McIntosh Center; Activities Room
Start Date
21-4-2026 4:10 PM
End Date
21-4-2026 4:25 PM
Abstract
Currently, Section 955.03 of the Ohio Revised Code stipulates that animals ought to be treated as "property" within our legal system. Given both the inconsistency between this law and the manner in which animals are treated within our judicial system and the unjust nature of categorizing living beings as “property,” I explore methods of improving the Ohio Revised Code to better address these issues. Ultimately, I argue that Ohio ought to legally consider animals "sentient property" and explicitly make legislation within the Ohio Revised Code that guarantees this status for animals. Given the controversy of how legal systems ought to classify and treat animals, I have created and will present an Ethics Bowl case addressing the ethical and moral tensions present in this issue. The case will present arguments for and objections against three main solutions: to legally treat animals as property, persons, or some compromise in between like “sentient property.” After describing the moral landscape, I will invite audience members to weigh in with their thoughts and intuitions on this case. Lastly, I will include a section detailing how individuals can get involved with this issue if they are interested in seeing a change in the Ohio law and share the letters that I have sent to Ohio lawmakers.
Recommended Citation
Lloyd, Sunny M., "How Should We Treat Animals, Legally?" (2026). ONU Student Research Colloquium. 8.
https://digitalcommons.onu.edu/student_research_colloquium/2026/Papers/8
Open Access
Available to all.
How Should We Treat Animals, Legally?
ONU McIntosh Center; Activities Room
Currently, Section 955.03 of the Ohio Revised Code stipulates that animals ought to be treated as "property" within our legal system. Given both the inconsistency between this law and the manner in which animals are treated within our judicial system and the unjust nature of categorizing living beings as “property,” I explore methods of improving the Ohio Revised Code to better address these issues. Ultimately, I argue that Ohio ought to legally consider animals "sentient property" and explicitly make legislation within the Ohio Revised Code that guarantees this status for animals. Given the controversy of how legal systems ought to classify and treat animals, I have created and will present an Ethics Bowl case addressing the ethical and moral tensions present in this issue. The case will present arguments for and objections against three main solutions: to legally treat animals as property, persons, or some compromise in between like “sentient property.” After describing the moral landscape, I will invite audience members to weigh in with their thoughts and intuitions on this case. Lastly, I will include a section detailing how individuals can get involved with this issue if they are interested in seeing a change in the Ohio law and share the letters that I have sent to Ohio lawmakers.