The Ban on Participation of Children and Teenagers in the Hunt in Poland – A Case Study of Parliamentary Law Enactment Process and its Consequences

Abstract

We are witnessing a clash of (i) biocentric or ecocentric ideologies that grant equal rights to all living creatures, with (ii) an ideology that arose on the basis of anthropocentrism that gives the palm of priority to man. Hunters who are accused of killing defenseless animals for entertainment are at the heart of this dispute. Meanwhile, hunters argue that their activity results from the need to manage game populations, thus the necessity to limit the threats to human life and health and to minimize the extent of damage to field crops or forests. In the atmosphere of such public disputes between activists and hunters, decisions are made by politicians who shape specific legal solutions. In 2018, the Hunting Law (Polish Act of 13 October 1995, Journal of Laws of 2020.) in Poland was amended and children and adolescents under 18 were banned from participating in hunting.