Just as the idea behind child welfare legislation is the demand that adults should respect children, animals involved in the workings of human society also need people to legislate on their behalf and gain for them the most basic "right" of not being subjected to undue fear or physical cruelty, in the same way that people show concern for disadvantaged groups.
正如同兒童福利法的精神，要求成人應該尊重小孩；對參與人類社會運作的動物，也須要有人像關心弱勢團體一樣，為它們立法，爭取最起碼精神不受驚嚇、生理不受虐待的福利。