Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the phrase, human rights.  What are human rights, and what do these rights include?

Wikipedia defines human rights as:

Human rights refers to the “basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled.” Examples of rights and freedoms which are often thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the law; and social, cultural and economic rights, including the right to participate in culture, the right to food, the right to work, and the right to education.

Additionally, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes the wording, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

It seems to me that a human right is something that is applicable to all humans, regardless of age, sex, race, or nationality.

One test to see if something is an actual human right is to ask, “Should a child be given this right?”  Should a child be given the right to food?  Yes.  Should a child be given the right to be able to learn?  Yes.  Should a child be given the right to have shelter?  Yes.  Should a child be given the right to drive a car?  No!

There are some things which a child should not have the right to, such as driving a car.  In these cases we can redefine the right as a privilege afforded by government and our own ambitions to achieve the privilege.