 Before Pember wrote about animal rights there had already been many Christians in England involved in protesting against the maltreatment of domestic animals, agitating for legislation against cruelty to animals, and in rejecting the practice of the scientific dissection of living animals called vivisection.An early but failed attempt to pass a Bill against cruelty to animals was initiated by Thomas Erskine (1750–1823).He was a Christian who served in the House of Lords and was also Lord Chancellor in England.