Correlated Subjects: Relational Ethics and Veterinary Legal Accountability in Animal-Assisted Interventions

Area of Science:

• Legal Studies
• Animal Welfare Science
• Bioethics

Background:

• Current governance of Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs) is fragmented.
• AAI animals are legally defined as property, obscuring their relational roles.
• Existing frameworks neglect the context-dependent responsiveness and institutional embeddedness of these animals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the fragmented ethical and legal governance of AAIs.
• To conceptualize AAI animals as "correlated subjects" within relational legal theory and vulnerability scholarship.
• To propose a novel relational ethical-legal framework for AAIs.

Main Methods:

• Adoption of a normative and interdisciplinary approach.
• Application of relational legal theory, specifically Jennifer Nedelsky's notion of relational autonomy.
• Integration of Martha Fineman's theory of universal vulnerability.

Main Results:

• AAI animals are conceptualized as correlated subjects, whose significance stems from relationships and institutional contexts.
• Current medico-legal practices in veterinary certification and welfare assessment are identified as inadequate due to their static, technical framing.
• A relational ethical-legal framework emphasizing relational vulnerability, context-sensitive oversight, and continuous institutional accountability is developed.

Conclusions:

• The study recommends practical measures like renewable ethical licenses, inter-institutional monitoring, and multidisciplinary oversight.
• It advocates for a paradigm shift from welfare-based protection to a justice model grounded in interspecies interdependence.
• This approach aligns with One Welfare principles, recognizing interconnected human, animal, and environmental dimensions.