Toomas Uibo: Why do we care more about animals than those in need of help?

Approximately 2,000 families in Estonia are waiting for specialist care services to which they are legally entitled, but which the state cannot provide. MP Toomas Uibo asks why society can mobilise thousands of letters to protect animal welfare, yet underfunding of support systems for people with disabilities does not generate the same public pressure.

MP Toomas Uibo raises a pointed question: why does Estonian society find the energy to mobilise en masse in defence of animal welfare, while support for people with disabilities and special needs attracts far less public attention?

2,000 families waiting for help

In Estonia, approximately 10,000 people require specialist care services, including those who cannot manage independently and need round-the-clock support seven days a week. Services have been underfunded for years, and around 2,000 families are queuing for help to which they are legally entitled.

These families bear a heavy burden that affects their work, income, health and entire daily life. Specialist care workers, whose job is extraordinarily responsible and requires specific skills, earn significantly less than their work is actually worth.

The court sent a clear signal

The MP's observation is supported by a ruling from the Supreme Court in April 2024, in which the court stated plainly: the state must ensure that those in need receive necessary services and must not leave people in endless queues. This is a fundamental legal position that obligates the state to act.

Public pressure remains weak

Uibo emphasises that he does not wish to set animal welfare and specialist care needs against each other-these are different issues and do not compete. His point is different: society's capacity to mobilise exists, as demonstrated by the thousands of letters flooding mailboxes on the subject of chicken living conditions. The question is why this same energy is not deployed to solve the systemic problem of care for people, where families' suffering is equally real and the need for change even more urgent.