A number of studies have shown that plants feel pain, and vegetables are picked and often eaten whil

A number of studies have shown that plants feel pain, and vegetables are picked and often eaten while still alive. Animal rights activists are often in the news, but has anyone ever protested for vegetable rights?

Phil Cohen, Sydney, Australia

• The Vegetable Rights Militant Movement has a website at vegetablecruelty.com. Its current campaign protests that oil is kinder than ethanol. What it apparently fails to realize, however, is that oil derives from the corpses of billions of long dead plants, many of them long extinct. While using oil for fuel may save corn and sugarcane in the short run, it only encourages the exploitation of plants in the hope that they will die, decay, and eventually produce more hydrocarbon-based fuels. The coal and petroleum industries rely on humans' short memories, smugly confident that few of us will remember the Rhacopteris ovata and the Lepidodendron that gave their lives hundreds of millions of years ago to fuel our internal combustion engines. Oil is murder. Diamonds, too.

  Bill Dunlap, Hamden, Connecticut, USA

• Some fruitarians will only eat fruit, nuts and seeds that have fallen naturally from the plant, ie. not been picked or cut. They are often motivated by a desire to avoid killing in all forms - I'm not sure that they believe that vegetables feel pain, however!

  Amy, Feather UK

• It seems none of you understand the definition of "pain." Pain is defined as a signal of present or impending tissue damage affected by a harmful stimulus, and thus is experienced by almost all multicellular organisms. The question isn't whether or not plants feel pain, the question is why is it okay to cause pain to plants but not animals? Keep in mind not all plants react to pain in the same way. Not all animals feel pain the same way (e.g. lobsters). This is part of a much more complex argument. We need to ask some tough questions. Is it wrong to harm people? Do plants and animals have the same rights as people (to be free from harm)? Do they have any rights at all? What kind of diet is within our nature and why should we second-guess doing what is natural? Good luck.

  Randall, Cleveland US

• I was a vegetarian on and off growing up, and I'm now a srtict vegan. I struggle daily with whether I should sacrifice the life of a plant to eat, when I can find the same nutrition from a fruit (if you research fruit nutrition many people survive more than happy healthy lives). I adore my garden and house plants and know what they need to be happy/healthy, and so when it comes to eating one I can't help but think twice. Fruit seems to be given to us by the plants, bushes and trees they come from, they want to provide for us the best they have offer so that we will spread their seed. COHABITATION! Name another life form that WANTS to feed us?. The very fact that in the first stagest of life on Earth, everything was evolving from plants (making them our orignal ansestors), I think should help us in giving them the respect they deserve....

  AnnMichelle, Wirral uk

• If you read, the book of Genesis, Ch. No. 9, Verse No. 2 and 3, it says that 'They will fear you, they will dread you - all creatures of the earth, all fouls in the sky, all creatures that liveth on the earth, as well as all the fishes in the sea, they shall be delivered to you’. Next Verse Genesis, Ch. 9, Verse 3 says that ‘Every creature that moveth on land, and is a living creature - they are meat unto you, and also herbs and shrubs’. Mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy, Ch. No. 14, Verse No. 9, that ‘Ye shall have the meat of all the things in the water - All that have fins and scales, you shall eat’ - Deuteronomy, Ch. No. 14, Verse No. 11, says that ‘You shall have the lawful meat of the birds’. Deuteronomy Ch. No. 14, Verse No. 20 says that ‘Ye shall eat the meat of the lawful fowls’ - It is allowed. Further if you read, it is mentioned in the book of Hebrews, Ch. No. 5, Verse No. 13 and 14 that ‘If you have Milk, you are weak - if you have strong meat, you are powerful in reasoning’ - Bible says that not I. In the Gospel of Luke, Ch. No. 24 only quotations Verse No. 41 to 43 Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), goes in the upper room and he says ‘Have you any meat to eat?’- And the disciples gave him a piece of broiled fish and honey comb fish - and he ate before them. Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) - in the book of Romans, Ch. No. 14, Verse No. 2 and 3, it says that ‘One who believth in eating all things, he can eat - those who are weak, they only eat herbs and shrubs - but anyone who eateth, should not insult those who eateth not - and those who eateth not, should not judge those who eateth - This is law of God’.

  Green, Mumbai India

• There is an entire religion based upon this awareness, called Jainism, from India. Also, this is why everyone gives thanks to the life that lent itself to us so that we may sustain our own lives. There is no wrong or right, it simply depends upon your own relationship to the life on this planet. Each person is born with different things to accomplish while they are here, and we eat - with gratitude - for whatever supports our completion of those accomplishments. Gratitude and respect for the life support is what is fundamental.

  elarael, Haiku USA

• What, now we can't eat PLANTS? You've got to be kidding me. Humans shouldn't abandon predation just because we have morals. Humans are not the only creatures on earth that prey on other creatures.

  Jack, San Jose, USA

• First of all, if you want to be religious about this think about how god gave humans free will, so we could make decisions about things. We can decide that we don't have to eat meat, and we can decide we aren't meant to eat meat,and we can decide to not practice everything in the bible. So don't justify it just because the bible, says to take the life of something else so you can eat it when there are other options to like eating plants. If you believe it's o.k. to eat meat then please do it in a matter that is respectful. SO many animals suffer being stuffed into small spaces, being crippled in transportation and overfeeding, if you are going to eat an animal at least give it the respect that it is a living being not just a product. Treat it like it's alive when its alive! And it doesn't say anywhere that you have to eat meat at every meal. You can easily reduce your meat intake to help the earth in the long run. Cows are being breed so that there are so many of them that the methane gas that cows produce in their poop contribute to global warming greatly. Everything in the process of producing a meat product takes up so many essential resources that we need like the water they drink(which is a lot for cows), the space where the animals are kept, the food they eat(again is a lot to get them big), the gas in the factories and in the transportation. At the very least be aware of everything you eat and where you get it to make sure that the companies that produce it are aware and care about the animals as beings because everyone of your dollars are a vote. If the meat is cheap then they usually don't take the time to make sure that the animals are treated like animals and there wastes are being taken care of properly.The big corporations just do it for the money and just treat them like a product. They pack them full of antibiotics so that they don't get diseases that they are exposed to from being stored in small spaces packed with poop and all of those antibiotics, you are ingesting when you eat meat. Grass fed humanely treated animals are the best. Do your own research and just don't be ignorant because ignorance kills.

  Bella, SC USA

• First of all, if you want to be religious about this think about how god gave humans free will, so we could make decisions about things. We can decide that we don't have to eat meat, and we can decide we aren't meant to eat meat,and we can decide to not practice everything in the bible. So don't justify it just because the bible, says to take the life of something else so you can eat it when there are other options to like eating plants. If you believe it's o.k. to eat meat then please do it in a matter that is respectful. SO many animals suffer being stuffed into small spaces, being crippled in transportation and overfeeding, if you are going to eat an animal at least give it the respect that it is a living being not just a product. Treat it like it's alive when its alive! And it doesn't say anywhere that you have to eat meat at every meal. You can easily reduce your meat intake to help the earth in the long run. Cows are being breed so that there are so many of them that the methane gas that cows produce in their poop contribute to global warming greatly. Everything in the process of producing a meat product takes up so many essential resources that we need like the water they drink(which is a lot for cows), the space where the animals are kept, the food they eat(again is a lot to get them big), the gas in the factories and in the transportation. At the very least be aware of everything you eat and where you get it to make sure that the companies that produce it are aware and care about the animals as beings because everyone of your dollars are a vote. If the meat is cheap then they usually don't take the time to make sure that the animals are treated like animals and there wastes are being taken care of properly.The big corporations just do it for the money and just treat them like a product. They pack them full of antibiotics so that they don't get diseases that they are exposed to from being stored in small spaces packed with poop and all of those antibiotics, you are ingesting when you eat meat. Grass fed humanely treated animals are the best. Do your own research and just don't be ignorant because ignorance kills. I don't believe that plants feel pain because they do not have a nervous system and they don't have the neurons to carry pain signals.

  Bella, SC USA

• Plants suffer a massive hormone and chemical barrage internally when they suffer any kind of injury, Which is very similar to an animal but it is so much slower that most think they do not feel anything.

  David , Tampa fl USA

• Agree with so many postsBut I feel that ultimately suffering is a fundamental dilemma for all life, and all living things experience it in different ways. Scientifically we are still infants, lets not forget that, so to rule out the possibility of plants registering pain via other sensory organs because they do not posses a brain or central nervous system, would be an ignorant statement to make. Unfortunately, all life is formed and sustained by the matter of other life forms, whether decomposing or still living. The earth is a closed system, meaning every living thing is recycled, and everything consumed by one living thing has come from the decomposition or sacrifice of another living thing. The other unfortunate thing about this whole debate is that us humans all have to make up our own minds, and most will not have that nagging urge to feel utter compassion at even just the thought of a plant being eaten alive :(

  Julia, Australia

• Plants do not feel pain because they don't have a brain for any signals to be sent to. Imagine if a human didn't have a brain; they could get cut, but they wouldn't know and there wouldn't be anything to tell that they are in pain...so technically they would not be in pain. Same for plants.

  Mae, Sacramento US

• Yes, we are given all living things to eat-both plants and animals. No, we are not given these things to torture in the process.

  Shane, MN USA

• Those of you saying plants have no reason to feel pain evolutionarily because they can't run away are overlooking the important fact that plants do respond rapidly to being injured or threatened, albeit in way that are usually difficult for us to detect. As soon as injury occurs, chemicals are released that "warn" other nearby plants to bolster their defenses (this is especially useful if the assailant is an insect or other small pest -- some plants even release chemicals that attract other insects that eat the attackers!) Plants react to tactile sensations in general -- gently stroking a stem each day will cause it to grow thicker (probably because it is responding to what it thinks is heavy wind.) So while I'm not sure it means they can feel pain per se, plants definitely have good reason to detect and react to physical "sensation" including injury -- and they do.

  AJ, US

• DALLAS--Research scientists at Baylor Medical Center have proven that plants, including vegetables, feel pain when subjected to trauma such as being yanked out of the ground, peeled, cooked, and eaten. "Veggies and plants initiate a massive hormone and chemical barrage internally when they suffer any kind of injury," says professor Barry Lindzer. "This response is akin to the nerve response and endorphin release when an animal is injured. We cannot ignore the similarities."

  Jose, Boca Raton USA

• "There are no neurons in plants, but there is a communication network that we don't fully understand." - William John Lucas, professor of plant biology at UC-Davis. No neurons probably means no pain, at least not the way humans perceive it. If you try googling Professor Barry Lindzer and the Baylor Medical Center, it seems there might not be a Barry Lindzer at the Baylor Medical Center. Hmm. As many have pointed out, the ability to suffer pain and not be able to evade the source of that pain is not the kind of mistake Mother Nature would make.

  Mike , Toronto Canada

• How about you just eat what feels right to you.

  Hans, Sonoma U.S.A.

• Technically speaking, the cells of the entire plant have chemicals synonymous with a brain, furthermore, one can trace the electrical impulses within a given plant and learn that there are, at the very least, basic emotional instances. Plants can be conditioned to lower defensive mechanisms like spines, to grow a certain way, and display an evolutionary ingenuity that may be beyond even our comprehension. From a purely scientific standpoint, our long disrespected ancestors are geniuses and to say they don't think is to ignore the extent they go to form symbiotic(and parasitic) relationships and the subtle mourning responses to the deaths of caretakers and neighboring plants. HOWEVER, vegetables, grains, and nuts are too small to be sufficiently intelligent to suffer enough for it to be called inhumane. I believe that they should be given the same level of respect as their animal counterparts. Give a dandelion the respect you'd give an invasive rodent, and crops the same respect as livestock. Even if the activists are wrong and plants don't feel, we should leave nothing to chance. Even if the research is false and that tree in your back yard IS just be a hunk of cells, leave nothing to chance, because for all we know they're sentient beings that desire positive social interactions.

  Rayblon, Naperville USA

• Yes, because tests have been made and it has been proven that as soon as a plant is harvested it hurts the plant and the plant begins to wither.

  tom , birmingham uk

• After years of struggling with the decision and one or two failed attempts, this year I finally committed to becoming a vegetarian. Not a full vegan because there are so many products that use animal by-products, it seems virtually impossible to avoid them all and still have any type of existence other than the stereotypical "hippie" label would suggest. But my changeover has been a transitional one. No chicken, beef or pork...that was easy, but now I am thinking I need to eliminate fish and shrimp as well. Cheese has been a struggle since most cheeses use an enzyme made from the stomach lining of slaughtered calves, so I am still searching for a veggie cheese I can consistently find in the area where I live. Plants feeling pain is such a gray area that I have to side with people who say "if you rule out meat AND veggies...that only leaves fruit because it is given to us by Nature herself without the need for harvesting." However, I am a diabetic, so a fruit only diet is out of the question...even natural sugars are too much sugar in my case. So I struggle to find a balance between nutritional requirements vs. ethical considerations vs. culinary desires, but I'm working on it and hopefully making good choices. As for the "GOD" argument that so many people use to defend killing animals and eating meat, there is no scientific data to back up that GOD even exists, so that argument is a moot point and has no place in this debate. I'm not an atheist or an agnostic, but there are MANY things that I don't agree with GOD about, so don't try to sell me with any GOD rhetoric because it has no substance or fact base to it. GOD also gave us the choice to be murderers and child molestors...he says it's wrong, but he still gave us the power of free will to engage in those types of behaviors, so does that justify them? Personally, I would say no...but then again, I'm not a hater like some of the God-ites I've met from time to time. I'm a student of science and history and God and his demented minions here on earth have wreaked more havoc on the world than any other belief system out there, so let's just drop the "God gave us choices" arguments altogether and just focus on the facts and the ethical considerations.

  Phil, Jackson USA

• Well, we cant say that they dont feel any pain cause as any other cell they consist of nucleous i.e. also known as the brain of the cell. And if we take an example of amoeba we can definitely prove that its a single cell organism and carries out every process of a human body from locomotion to the process of eating food so it is pretty much possible that every cell wether a plant cell or animal or any single cell organisms feel pain. Not sure about viruses cause they have very less biological parts of their own.

  anshuman, delhi india

• I am just wondering if it is more cruel to eat something that doesn't have the means to show pain? Then again, if we don't eat plants, what else can we consume to ensure our survival? Eating in abundance is what many are doing now. Worse, they kill animals and waste the meat later. It's cruel to eat animals. I believe plants have their own life too. Anything that has a life surely has a means to feel. Maybe we haven't realize the science and system behind this new perspective, but I think we are facing great dilemma about plants. No meat, no veg, guess the only thing left to consume is air. Sharing some thoughts here. Cheers...

  Karen Fu, Singapore

• If eating animals is OK then you should not cry when someone eats your babies. God did not give plants to run away to protect themselves. This means plants are basically for eating. Most of the plant based food do not need killing the plant, only cut some part of it. The tree again grow similar parts. Also the intestine of carnivorous is very small compared to herbivorous (similar to humans). How come man is made to eat both the things?

  santosh, mumbai india

• Keep eating meat, my friends. However, I'm a vegetarian and haven't been sick in 5 years. Prior to that, I was sick all the time. A connection? Definitely, because it's the only thing I changed. ;)

  R, winter haven USA