What is the difference between animal rights activists and animal welfare advocates?

Animal rights activists and animal welfare advocates both strive to protect animals from mistreatment, but their overall goals differ. Animal rights activists, such as PETA or the Humane Society of the United States, are committed to fundamentally changing the way that animals are treated by humans. They believe that animals should have the same rights as people, advocating for laws to recognize animals as sentient beings with moral rights equivalent to humans. Animal welfare advocates, on the other hand, focus on promoting the humane treatment of animals, but do not generally oppose the use of animals for human purposes. Generally, animal welfare advocates seek to improve animal wellbeing without advocating for any changes in the legal status of animals, instead focusing on enacting and enforcing laws and regulations that improve the conditions of animal living and prevent cruelty. In South Carolina, a number of animal welfare laws exist to protect animals from mistreatment, though animal rights laws are not currently recognized.

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What is the difference between animal rights activists and animal welfare advocates?

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