Crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating, or impaling an animal is now a serious crime in the United States. Donald Trump signed the PACT Act on November 25, 2019, at the White House, after the Senate approved it unanimously. The penalty: up to 7 years in prison.
The law protects mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians intended to be pets from acts of extreme cruelty, as long as they occur in interstate commerce or federal territory. It sounds forceful.
But there is a loophole that outrages animal advocates: slaughter for consumption, hunting, fishing, and veterinary or pest-control practices are exempt. In other words, the cruelty that occurs every day within the animal and food industry remains untouched. So many wonder, is it real protection or just a token gesture to appease some people?