Called the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, the bill specifically criminalizes crushing, burning, drowning, and impaling animals, among other such gruesome actions that are just outright savage.
The PACT Act
Since the bill makes these actions a felony on a federal level, it will allow officials to cross state lines in pursuit of suspected animal abusers. The PACT Act was introduced by Rep. Ted Deutch and Rep. Vern Buchanan.
In a statement, Deutch said that
“This bill sends a clear message that our society does not accept cruelty against animals. We’ve received support from so many Americans from across the country and across the political spectrum. I’m deeply thankful for all of the advocates who helped us pass this bill, and I look forward to the Senate’s swift passage and the President’s signature.”
A step in the right direction
The PACT Act expands on the 2010 Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act, which criminalized the creation and distribution of videos depicting animal crushing. The new bill now specifies that all the acts behind such videos and beyond are illegal. More specifically, the PACT Act states that it would be a federal crime for “any person to intentionally engage in animal crushing if the animals or animal crushing is in, substantially affects, or uses a means or facility of, interstate or foreign commerce.”
But there’s still a long way to go. As the text above indicates, the PACT Act is yet rather constrained, applying only to interstate commerce and federal property. It does not legislate over local animal cruelty, as it leaves it to state laws and police enforcement to deal with such incidents.
Still, it’s certainly a step in the right direction. Animal cruelty targets some of the most vulnerable living beings on the planet, and people who maliciously engage in that kind of actions must be punished to the full extent of the law. As we become more aware of just how similar our fellow non-human animals are to ourselves, and as we realize just how much they can suffer, bills like the PACT Act can help give them the lawful protection we now know they deserve.
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