Tibetan Buddhism, in particular, is centered on compassion toward all sentient beings and prohibition of murder, suicide included.

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But we are thinking, independent, sentient beings, so why not just back off and let us make our own decisions?

FORBES: Scolds And Censors -- Enough Already!

As the continent fell into a sovereign debt crisis, just as one example, they raised interest rates, not normally what you would expect sentient beings to do.

FORBES: European Central Bank Independence: Theory and Reality

In the far future, humans have colonized a distant planet, home to the enigmatic Ariekei, sentient beings famed for a language unique in the universe, one that only a few altered human ambassadors can speak.

FORBES: Introducing A Science Fiction Book Club

That is, that toys are sentient beings.

CNN: 'Toy Story:' A high-tech treat

Today, seeking kindness toward animals as well as conservation, Goodall is pressing for alternative testing methods now available and the halting of using chimpanzees as Guinea pigs, because, simply put, it inflicts unnecessary torture upon these intelligent, sentient beings.

FORBES: Defying The Odds Of Extinction: 'Chimpanzee,' Jane Goodall And The Gonze Stream