Jessica's primary professional interest lies in reconceptualising and reforming the treatment of non-human animals in both national legislation and international instruments. Her PhD thesis examines how international trade of farmed non-human animals may be legitimately restricted within the WTO regime and the implications of this strategy to de-commodify non-human animals on a global scale.
Jessica has previously received the Animal Law Advocates Advanced Degree Scholarship to complete the LL.M. in Animal Law at Lewis & Clark Law School (Centre for Animal Law Studies). She has worked on legal research projects for the Global Animal Law Association and the World Federation for Animals. She is a member of Animals Australia and the Australasian Animal Studies Association and conducted her practical legal training with the RSPCA Queensland Prosecutions Team.
Thesis Title
I Am More Than Cargo: An Examination of the Legality of Measures which Restrict the Trade of Farmed Non-human Animals within the WTO Regime
Thesis summary
International trade law has often been seen as an unsuitable place for contributing to the de-commodification of non-human animals. Accordingly, contemplation of non-human animals in the GATT regime and proceeding WTO regime has been absent, ancillary, or antagonistic to these lives’ interests. Jessica’s research applies a Critical Animal Law lens to the leading ‘non-human animals as potentially ‘more than property’ cases (US - Shrimp, US Tuna II (Mexico), and EC - Seal Products) to extract (a) conceptualisations of non-human animals and their welfare and (b) the room for an expanded conceptualisation of non-human animals as ‘more than property’.
Supervisors
- Animal Law
- Globilisation and Law
- International Trade Law
- International Law
- Moral and Political Philosophy