I provide sanctuary to chimpanzees. Here’s why I support the NhRP.

I first learned about Steve, the founder of the NhRP, when I read his book Rattling the Cage: Toward Legal Rights for Nonhuman Animals. It was life-changing for me. It made absolute sense and finally gave a voice to what I’d felt since childhood. I cared about welfare for all but there had to be something more, a higher purpose and mission. When I learned what Steve was fighting for, it all came together. The concept of legal personhood for nonhuman animals was groundbreaking and, in my view, was and still is the pinnacle of success in finding justice for all.

The NhRP was then known as the Center for the Expansion of Fundamental Rights. I actually called Steve on the phone when my husband and I moved to Boston for his veterinary studies. I knew Steve was based in Massachusetts and thought I’d give it a try. If you know Steve, you won’t be at all surprised that he was immediately open and kind and receptive. We met for coffee and that was the start of a decades-long friendship I’ll always treasure.

In the beginning, a lot of what I did was help Steve organize his piles. I remember the first time entering his home and seeing file folders everywhere. Despite this, Steve was on top of everything. He was so sharp and engaged and didn’t miss a beat.

After a short time, I began to work much more closely with Steve on outreach—to media, celebrities, colleagues, and like-minded individuals and organizations. We worked on mission statements and the CEFR logo and developed marketing materials and a website. My marketing background gave me a great headstart on this aspect of Steve’s work. While outreach was critical to furthering his work, Steve had to fully focus on the all-consuming paperwork, meetings, court proceedings, research, and more related to his groundbreaking initiative to establish nonhuman animals as rights-holders.

Working with Steve was a complete pleasure with never a dull moment. Steve exuded kindness and was one of the most intelligent and progressive people I have known. He loved his family more than life. Working with Steve was also, at times, chaotic but I loved this. But, by far, the best part of working with Steve was becoming his friend. Steve would’ve been my childhood hero if I’d known about him then.

I have followed the NhRP’s work closely since those early days. I believe that supporting the NhRP is THE single most important thing we can do on behalf of our nonhuman relatives. There are many steps and actions to take along the way but, ultimately, legal rights for nonhuman animals is a game-changer.

Working with chimpanzees, our closest cousins, has only strengthened my support for the NhRP’s work. The chimpanzee “persons” I provide care to every day deserve dignity, liberty, respect, and rights. They are no less important than humans and feel all the same emotions we do including love, grief, happiness, loss, and joy.

I’ve always remembered and passed along a response Steve would give during his lectures when he was asked a common question: would he allow a chimpanzee to be used in research to cure his own children of an illness? “Most of us would do anything to protect our children,” he said. “But just because we could choose to inflict suffering on another individual to benefit our own doesn’t mean we should be allowed to do so.” This is the core of what it means to recognize the legal rights of nonhuman animals.

Legal rights for our chimpanzee cousins and other sentient beings would mark immense progress for us all. As a society, we benefit from the expansion, not the reduction, of rights. That is why I support the NhRP.

Jenny Desmond was one of the Nonhuman Rights Project’s first volunteers. She went on to co-found Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection in West Africa and helped provide care to 66 chimpanzees used in medical research and then abandoned by the New York Blood Center when it withdrew funding. We thank Jenny for sharing her story of support for the NhRP.