QP IP28’s Radical Attempt to Kill Oregon’s Way of Life

Hunting, fishing, farming, and ranching have been a way of life in Oregon for thousands of years — from Native American stewardship to the 35,000 farms and ranches operating here today. But a small group of initiative petitioners is now gathering signatures for IP28, a measure that would criminalize that way of life — and the economic activity it supports — solely in Oregon.Hunting is legal in all 50 states. IP28 would make Oregon the first state in the nation to outlaw hunting, fishing, and ranching by redefining these long-standing practices as “animal cruelty.” Under their so called “PEACE Act,” even removing invasive species would be banned. The impact on four million Oregonians — their livelihoods, traditions, and economic stability — seems irrelevant to this coalition.Consider the economic fallout. Oregon’s 34 million acres of public land open to hunting and fishing would no longer generate revenue. Add up licensing dollars, recreation spending, related jobs, commercial fishing profits, and livestock exports, and the loss exceeds $4 billion a year. That’s not just a rural problem — those shockwaves would hit every corner of the state.At its core, IP28 is driven by a moral rights philosophy that claims killing animals is inherently wrong — that human and animal life are morally equivalent. Its petitioners call themselves “species egalitarians.”But in the real world, human beings are of inestimable worth. And farming, ranching, fishing, and animal husbandry are the bedrock of civilizations, economies, and ecosystems. These are the liberties that sustain a free and flourishing society — and like all important freedoms, they must be fought for and defended.Tell your friends the truth about IP28.For Cascade Policy Institute, I’m Naomi Inman.