A highly controversial ballot measure that seeks to protect all animal life is inching closer to passing in Oregon.
Known as the PEACE Act, which stands for People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions, the measure could potentially ban hunting, fishing, livestock slaughter, and animal testing, according to Fox 12 Oregon.
The movement has been growing for years, initiated in 2023 and gaining thousands and thousands of supporters as election cycles passed. If it goes through, it will apply the same kinds of animal cruelty stipulations to other animals as to cats and dogs.
David Michelson, the chief petitioner of the PEACE Act, said, "We're inspired a lot by the women's suffrage movement, which used the ballot initiative tactic to get the right to vote. And in Oregon, it took six election cycles before it finally passed," per Fox 12.
People who support the petition say "it's about recognizing animals can feel pain and updating state law," a News Watch 12 story explained.
But opponents of the act, such as Amy Patrick, of the Oregon Hunting Association, say if it passes, this legislation could have catastrophic effects on "ranchers, coastline economies, and wildlife management," as per News Watch 12.
What's more, this could affect families that rely on hunting as "a meaningful source of food, particularly amid rising grocery costs and economic uncertainty," according to the Grants Pass Tribune.
Patrick said, according to Fox 12, "I'm hopeful that Oregonians … will really, really delve into what this [proposal] does and how this is going to affect us."
Other hunting bans around the world have done much to protect rare species and reinvigorate an understanding of animal rights. A ban in India sought to protect the often-hunted pangolin, and measures in Switzerland cracked down on the illegal killings of chamois rams of certain ages and genders, which endanger the species.
However, the Oregon PEACE Act could be much more far-reaching and widespread.
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Regardless of whether it passes or not, the proposal has sparked debate about animals and their livelihood and rights, and whether or not "Oregon should reconsider broad exemptions in cruelty laws and align policy with evolving ethical standards,"per the Grants Pass Tribune.
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