All Mothers Should Have the Right to Experience Motherhood

By Victoria Dias @ 2025-05-12T01:53 (+8)

Intro

Happy Mother’s Day, especially to those who are deprived of experiencing the fullness of maternal love and all that it can bring, because their children are taken from them.

On this Mother’s Day, I invite you to reflect beyond flowers, gifts, and traditional tributes. So often, dates like this are shaped by capitalism, turning moments of affection into opportunities for consumption and emptying them of their true meaning.

It’s essential that we look beyond the script imposed by the market and reclaim the universal value of motherhood, recognizing respect for maternal love in all its forms and species-human and non-human. Our daily choices-at the table, in the supermarket, or in small gestures-deeply impact the lives of millions of mothers who are often denied the right to express this love.

I invite you to see Mother’s Day with new eyes: let’s reclaim the deeper meaning of this date, broaden our compassion, and make choices that truly honor all forms of motherhood. Respect and empathy are also found in the small decisions we make every day-and that’s where true transformation begins.

Motherhood is an experience as unique as it is transformative. Only those who have lived it truly know how it changes everything: your body, mind, priorities, and, most of all, the way you see the world and other living beings. There is no love like a mother’s for her child, nor a bond as visceral as the one born from this instinct-an uncontrollable urge to protect, nurture, and teach that transcends any rational or academic explanation. No professional, philosopher, or psychologist who hasn’t experienced motherhood can truly understand or describe the power of this love and the pains that come with it, because only by living it can you grasp what it means to be a mother.

It was through living motherhood-feeling in my own skin the pains and delights of this journey, from pregnancy, through childbirth and breastfeeding, to the daily challenges of raising a child-that my perception of animals changed completely. I remember the sleepless nights, the exhaustion, the physical pains like mastitis during breastfeeding, and how all of this connected me to the reality of non-human mothers. I realized that cows, pigs, goats, sheep, dogs, cats, chickens, and even fish also experience the intensity of this love and suffering. Mammal mothers carry their young for months, feel every discomfort of pregnancy, endure the pain of birth, and then teach, protect, feed, and nurture their babies, just like we do. They feel pain, fear, anxiety, anguish, and joy-all the emotions we know so well.

Even non-mammal mothers, like birds and fish, display profound maternal behaviors: they build nests, protect their eggs, teach their young how to feed and survive. Science has already proven that animals of many species are sentient, capable of feeling pain, love, cold, fear, anxiety, depression, and a range of emotions that, for us, are unmistakable. The maternal instinct is universal: it is the silent pact to do whatever it takes to ensure the life and well-being of their offspring, even if it means sacrificing their own comfort or safety.

That’s why, when we celebrate Mother’s Day, we cannot ignore the suffering of non-human mothers, deprived of the right to fully live out this love. If we are capable of understanding the pain of separation, the fear of illness, the joy of watching a child grow, or the anguish of not being able to protect them, then we are also capable of putting ourselves in the place of these mothers from other species. They are just like us. And for that reason, they deserve respect, compassion, and the right to experience motherhood in freedom.

The Pain of Forgotten Mothers: Cows, Pigs, Chickens, and Fish

In the modern dairy industry, cows are raped through artificial insemination year after year to maintain milk production. After nine months of gestation-a period similar to human women-their calves are taken from them within hours or even minutes of birth. This abrupt separation causes deep psychological suffering for both mothers and their babies. Industry workers report that cows cry “like a baby” for up to 15 or 20 days after their calves are taken, mooing desperately and searching for their children whom they will never see again. “Separation anxiety” isn’t just a technical term: it’s a reality these animals live intensely, with searching behaviors, intense vocalizations, and physiological signs of stress.

While a cow’s natural lifespan can reach 15–20 years, modern dairy cows rarely live beyond 4.5 to 6 years. The average productive life in the US is just 3 years-a drastic reduction compared to the past, the result of the physical and emotional exhaustion imposed by the relentless cycle of pregnancies and separations.

The same cycle of violence repeats with chickens. While their wild ancestors laid between 10 and 15 eggs a year, industrial chickens are genetically manipulated to produce between 300 and 320 eggs annually-a nearly 3,000% increase that causes serious health problems. For every confined hen, there is an invisible holocaust: approximately 7 billion male chicks are killed each year worldwide because they don’t lay eggs or aren’t suitable for meat production. These newborn chicks are ground up alive or suffocated-a standard industry practice.

Chickens in intensive systems are prevented from performing essential natural behaviors like scratching, dust bathing, perching, or building and brooding their nests. Research shows these activities are fundamental for the physical and psychological well-being of birds, occupying 63% of the time of free chickens. In nature, a wild hen carefully chooses her nesting spot, broods her eggs for 21 days, and teaches her chicks to forage-behaviors completely denied in the industry.

Pigs also experience a motherhood marked by violence and deprivation. Confined in gestation and farrowing crates so narrow they can barely move, they are prevented from expressing any natural maternal behavior. In natural conditions, pigs build nests, nurse, and protect their piglets for up to 17 weeks, but in the industry, piglets are taken away at just 3 weeks old, causing suffering and stress for both mothers and babies. Extreme confinement, lack of hygiene, and overcrowding lead to painful diseases like mastitis and even psychological disorders, including postpartum depression-a condition scientifically proven in pigs subjected to intensive industrial systems. Investigations show that, under these conditions, mothers and piglets cry out for each other for weeks, and piglet mortality is high due to stress and the mothers’ inability to adequately care for all their young.

For a long time, fish were treated as insentient beings, but science now recognizes that they feel pain, are aware of what happens around them, learn, communicate, form memories, and can distinguish between good and bad situations. Recent studies show that fish, like zebrafish, display emotional contagion: they can perceive and imitate the fear and stress of others, thanks to the action of oxytocin-the same hormone involved in human empathy. Brain areas responsible for emotion recognition in fish are equivalent to those of mammals, demonstrating a complex emotional life.

Pop culture also helps us see the sensitivity of fish. Anyone who has watched “Finding Nemo” and “Finding Dory” was moved by Dory’s journey-who, even with short-term memory loss, spent her life searching for her parents-and by Marlin, Nemo’s father, who faced every danger to rescue his son. These stories move us because they portray real emotions, family bonds, and the struggle for survival-feelings that, for a long time, were denied to fish in the real world.

In the industry, however, reality is the opposite of the movies. Farmed fish live in overcrowded environments, deprived of their most natural behavior: swimming freely. This confinement causes intense stress, facilitates the spread of diseases, and harms the animals’ growth and well-being. Elevated stress can be measured by high cortisol levels in the blood, as well as other physiological and behavioral problems. Imagine what it’s like for a mother fish to be forced to raise her young in crowded tanks, with no space, no chance to protect them or teach them about the world-a life of deprivation from birth.

Animals are not food. They are individuals with the right to life, freedom, and to live with their families, just like any other sentient being.

Studies Prove: Maternal, Social, and Playful Behaviors in Animals

Numerous scientific studies reveal that animals raised for consumption have rich social and emotional lives, expressing complex maternal, social, and playful behaviors both in nature and in more natural environments.

Cows are highly social animals, able to recognize over 100 individuals in their herd and form lasting friendships. They show preferences for certain companions, which reduces their stress levels and improves overall well-being. When separated from their calves or close herd members, cows display clear signs of grief, actively searching for them and vocalizing in distress. These social and maternal bonds are essential for their emotional and physical health.

Pigs, in natural environments, are playful, protective, and build elaborate nests for their piglets. They recognize their young, interact playfully, and teach essential survival behaviors. Studies show that when given freedom, sows and piglets engage in social and locomotive play, which is fundamental for the physical and cognitive development of the young. Confinement, on the other hand, prevents these interactions, leading to suffering and behavioral disorders.

Chickens are surprisingly intelligent and social. They form complex hierarchies, recognize dozens of other group members, transmit knowledge across generations, and have more than 30 types of vocalizations to communicate with their chicks. In nature, hens teach their chicks to scratch, find food, and protect themselves, and they show empathy and protective behaviors.

Fish also display sophisticated social and family behaviors. Species like zebrafish care for their eggs and young, defend them from predators, and teach them how to survive. Recent studies show that fish can recognize other individuals, form stable social groups, and even demonstrate emotional contagion, perceiving and responding to the fear or stress of their companions.

Playful behavior is an important indicator of well-being and healthy development in many species. Sows and piglets, for example, display social and locomotive play, such as running, jumping, and interacting with objects, especially when kept in environments that allow more freedom and contact with their mother and siblings. These behaviors are reduced or nonexistent in industrial systems, where confinement and early separation hinder the animals’ emotional and social development.

These studies make it clear: farmed animals do not just feel pain and suffering-they also experience joy, play, friendship, attachment, and grief. Maternal and social behavior is fundamental to their well-being, and its deprivation results in deep physical and emotional suffering, as evidenced by decades of research in ethology and animal welfare.

How Our Choices Impact Millions of Lives

Our daily choices have consequences far beyond our plates. Every time we choose animal products, we perpetuate a system that deprives millions of non-human mothers of the fundamental right to love, protect, and raise their young. By choosing plant-based alternatives-whether milk, cheese, eggs, or plant-based meats-we break this cycle of suffering and affirm that maternal love deserves respect in all species.

Adopting a vegan diet goes beyond compassion: it is an ethical and political stance that challenges the logic of animal exploitation and values life in its fullness. Today, the variety and quality of plant-based foods make this transition accessible, delicious, and nutritious, allowing each person to contribute to a fairer world without giving up the pleasure of eating.

The progress of movements for less cruel systems, such as the elimination of cages for laying hens in several countries, shows that change is possible and that consumer pressure makes a difference. However, we will only achieve true respect for animal life when we recognize that no mother-cow, pig, chicken, fish, or dog-should be prevented from fully living her motherhood for human interests.

Mother’s Day is an invitation for deep reflection on our values. Celebrating this date also means recognizing that love, care, and the right to family are not exclusive to our species. By making conscious choices, we honor all mothers-human and non-human-and contribute to a world where maternal love is protected, not exploited.

On this Mother’s Day, let empathy guide us: may we expand our circle of compassion to include all forms of motherhood, rejecting practices that cause pain and separation. Because every mother deserves to love, care for, and watch her children grow in freedom-and each of us can be part of this transformation.

All sources and references for this text are available to everyone at the following document:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NRPePDWq769eCMoKEJzPbntxk3sktAbvEgl0SpAR6o4/edit?usp=sharing

This text was originally published by me in Portuguese on my LinkedIn.