ISAR

Over two decades ago, Harvard University’s Office of Government and Community Affairs sponsored an in-depth study of the animal rights/welfare movement, including its goals and strategies.
In its Report, Harvard noted that “[Philosophically, animal rights/welfare groups can be classified as abolitionists or regulationists. The abolitionists, such as ISAR…constitute a minority within a movement. They are, however, also the most diligent, tactical and clear thinking. They use the law; publications and education to work for their ultimate goals.”
What Harvard said then about ISAR remains true today.
International Society for Animal Rights (ISAR) was chartered in the District of Columbia nearly a half-century ago, making our organization one of the oldest humane education organizations in the United States.
ISAR is a tax exempt non-profit corporation, and contributions to it are tax deductible.
ISAR was the first organization in the United States (and probably the world) to use in its corporate name the moral principle of “animal rights.” The first federal and the first state court legal decisions to invoke the moral principle “animal rights” were in cases brought by International Society for Animal Rights.
ISAR’s founder, the late Helen Jones, was one of the few pioneers in what would decades later become known as the animal rights movement. She fervently believed that humans have a moral responsibility to animals that could be satisfied only by working for an end to their suffering and exploitation. In furtherance of that goal, Helen Jones originated dozens of innovative educational programs and campaigns on behalf of animal rights, one of the most prominent being International Homeless Animals' Day.
One of Helen Jones’s most profound insights led to an ambitious program that for its audaciousness was unique to ISAR. Miss Jones, whose father was a small town lawyer, understood that an essential strategy for securing rights for animals was through the American legal system—a strategy that ISAR has employed for over three decades.
The history and accomplishments of International Society for Animal Rights are presented in our Power Point presentation, which can be accessed on our website at www.isaronline.org.
We at ISAR believe that our activities, as reflected in our website at www.isaronline.org, speak for themselves—providing information about the origins of our organization, highlighting the individuals who have made it into a forward-looking effective voice for animal rights, and describing the programs we’ve implemented and are planning in order to make those rights a reality.
We are aware, of course, that unlike in 1959 when ISAR was founded by Helen Jones, today there are many more organizations in the animal protection field—though few, like ISAR, are bottomed on the principle of animal rights—and thus there is stiff competition for a finite amount of pro-animal financial support.
Accordingly, ISAR asks all of its supporters, and those who could support our efforts, to compare today’s organizations, to assess what issues they address, and to evaluate their accomplishments.
If it then appears that ISAR is unique, as we believe it is, we sincerely ask that you demonstrate your support by contributing to the fostering of our shared goals.
Together, in partnership, we can work toward a broader recognition and implementation of animal rights.
Incorporated in Washington, D.C. in 1959, ISAR is a non-profit organization and is tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code. Contributions are deductible for income tax purposes.