What If We Imagined the Fates of Humans and Animals As Interconnected?

What is the difference between an animal meant for love and one meant for food? The answer, for many people, will be clear: The fates of the pet and the livestock will never overlap. In October 2025, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that the presidential administration would be looking to phase out animal laboratory testing, not two months before announcing a new food pyramid that placed meat and dairy at the top. This exemplifies the pretzel logic of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement when it comes to animal welfare: Ending animal testing on one hand while encouraging the consumption of more steak on the other; pushing to end puppy mills while speeding up the slaughter of chickens and pigs (which also endangers workers and can lead to spread of disease). And yet, this convoluted approach to the matter of “animal welfare” points to the contradictory ways in which many people understand the differences between the animals we love and those we eat.

A new ecofeminist perspective

Ecofeminism — a philosophy that sees the troubles faced by women, the environment and animals as interconnected — offers a more holistic way forward. Three recent ecofeminist books explore this intersection, tapping into historical and Indigenous knowledge that regards nature and animals as sacred.