While not all scientists agree on the extent or type of insect consciousness, the trend in research is moving towards recognizing that insects are far more complex and capable of subjective experience than once assumed, with strong evidence for sentience in many groups. What is sentience? Matilda Gibbons (cite: Science Direct) qualifies the standards used for giving animals moral and ethical consideration as: Sentience is the capacity to have feelings—mental states that are consciously experienced as good or bad. Examples include love and hate, joy and anger, excitement and exhaustion, happiness and depression, hunger and thirst. A particularly salient feeling is pain, such as the “sharp pain” of an injection or the “dull throb” of a headache. These feelings have an important evolutionary function: motivating and teaching us to avoid harm, such as sharp objects or bumps on the head (Kolodny et al., 2021). Yet, due to its intrinsic aversiveness, extreme or unnecessary pain leads to major ethical concerns. Many argue that animal welfare only matters if the animal is sentient and can experience pain (Duncan, 1996; Fraser et al., 1997). Feeling pain is therefore central to whether a living being deserves moral consideration. This ideas is that "where there is a choice between harming and not harming an insect, lets all try harder not to harm it." Thank you for your attention to this matter!