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Dear John,
Today, the Nonhuman Rights Project’s founder Steven Wise would have turned 75 years old. As his wife and as the NhRP’s board chair, I miss him terribly and am sorry he isn’t here for us to celebrate this important birthday. I’m comforted by the fact that his life’s work continues. I know he’d be proud of the progress made by the NhRP to use the legal system to get rights for nonhuman animals.
Steve knew that getting rights for animals would take many years because it required a profound change in social norms, specifically the way human beings think about our role on this earth compared to other beings. He saw the achievement of rights as the most effective path to reducing the exploitation and the suffering of nonhuman animals.
This was what he thought about, talked about, read about, wrote about, and dreamed about, almost all of the time.
One summer, we took our children on vacation and went tubing on a tranquil river in Vermont. Steve sat in the rubber tube floating down the river, all the while on the phone loudly discussing one of our animal rights cases. Our children were laughing at him and yelling, “Dad, get off the phone!” But he took one call after another. That was Steve’s idea of vacation. He never wanted to be away from his work, and for him, talking about an animal rights case only enhanced the experience of floating on a river.
Many NhRP supporters know Steve was fortunate to have had Dr. Jane Goodall as a close colleague and friend and that Jane died in October. Jane was one of the earliest board members of the NhRP and a great admirer of Steve’s work. He felt honored that she so respected him and what he was trying to accomplish. After Steve died in February of 2024 from glioblastoma, Jane wrote:
One day animals will receive the dignity and respect that they deserve, morally and legally. Steve will be remembered as a giant pioneer, who trailed the path towards a better future for animals with all legal means available ... During the years stretching ahead more legal victories on behalf of animals will be won, and so much of this steady progression towards true justice will be traced back to Steve’s pioneering efforts. [I have] imagined Steve arriving in the place we go when we have lived a good life and being greeted by so many grateful animals, lined up and clamouring to give him a rousing “THANK YOU, STEVE.”
The NhRP is proud to honor both Steve and Jane Goodall by working tirelessly to create a world in which nonhuman animals have rights. If you can, please join us in commemorating what would have been Steve’s 75th birthday.
This could mean lighting a candle in his memory, posting on social media about what his work means to you, sharing our tribute page [[link removed]] to Steve, or donating to the NhRP in celebration of the NhRP’s second annual Founder’s Day of Giving [[link removed]] .
Today, every donation to the NhRP will be tripled up to $7,500 as part of a generous donation made to the NhRP in memory of Steve and our first client Tommy.
Donate in honor of Steve [[link removed]]
Thank you so much for helping us continue to build the more just world for all beings that Steve and Jane envisioned.
Gail Price-Wise
Board Chair, the NhRP
P.S. This month we’ll be sending out more emails than usual as part of our end-of-year fundraising campaign. It’s important to us to allow you to choose what kinds of emails you’d like to receive while this campaign is ongoing. Make your selections here [[link removed]] .
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The NhRP is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation (Tax ID #: 04-3289466). It is solely through your donations that we can continue to work for the recognition and protection of fundamental rights for nonhuman animals.
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