In Switzerland, Even Dead Fish Have Legal Counsel

As we reported two years ago, the Swiss seem to have their hearts set on some sort of national statement about the suffering of animals — including angler-caught fish. In this morning’s The Guardian, Leo Hickman profiles Antoine Goetschel, the government-paid lawyer assigned to represent puppies, rabbits and pike in court. (“Not even a vet can act on behalf of an animal in court.”)
Lined up against Goetschel are people like senator Hannes Germann, who succeeded in getting a ban on the building of minarets in Switzerland last year. (“We have bigger issues to fight than this.”)
Hickman’s in-depth examination begs reading if you’re at all interested in the intersection between sporting tradition, politics and ethics. (By the way, Hickman has also pondered (squeamishly) the thought of lab-grown meat — which is what we all might be eating if we depend on legislators to decide what a sentient being is.)