The ongoing push to secure "personhood" for sentient animals - otherwise known as "Animal Rights" assumes that the animals, like chimps and elephants, are just like people, and so they should be accorded human rights. This assumption is a throwback to our 18th century, which carried with it the corollary: an animal found guilty of murder must pay the price.
Animal "Rights" imply animal responsibility, so they either have rights and responsibilities, or absent the responsibility component, they cannot be viewed as having rights.
You don't get it both ways.
