Perhaps the greatest statement of fundamental human rights in US or world history, and it has no force of law.
5 states now have “death with dignity” laws allowing some degree of personal decision on when one dies. It’s time we ALL had the most basic human right. The above grand statement clearly states that fundamental human rights aren’t subject to social infringement. To the extent that they are, they become simply grants from the King, the Fuehrer, the Council, Congress, or your friends and neighbors. Maybe that’s OK with you, but I find it intolerable.
Few Americans are not introduced to the above words early in life. However, I think many would be surprised, even shocked, to find they have absolutely no basis in law. Why? It’s my believe that the founders never would have dreamed that after enshrining these words in our declaration of war against tyranny that anyone would question them as the basis for everything that would follow. Anyone of them would have asked for poison, shot themselves, or obliged a fellow family member or citizen who was in a terribly painful and terminal condition to end their life. The Bill of Rights was not intended to enumerate the basics. In my opinion, it was to ensure there were no “grey areas” that Congress might dabble in and infringe on in the future. Problem is that all of us became fixed on them and forgot these were not “grants,” but elucidations based on that sweeping statement above this piece: Every human has a basic right to sovereignty over their own person. The right to end one’s own life is NOT something that should be debated or discussed. If it is infringed in any way, you have NO rights except those granted by your peers and superiors.
It would appear at first glance that all one would need to do is go to the Supreme Court. Problem is that the Supreme Court (well, at least in theory) is charged only with determining if a law is constitutional or not and remember that those words above ARE NOT TO BE FOUND IN THE CONSTITUTION. Sorry for the caps, but I believe few give this enough thought. A really fine legal mind might be able to argue successfully that those words represent the intent of Congress, and therefore law, but it would have to be one heckuva a passionate lawyer to convince the court after a couple of centuries of precedence to the contrary. After all, while not “law,” that document starts with “In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776…”
But the main point of this post is this: If we have no right to end our own life, we have no rights of any kind. “Rights” that are simply grants of the state are not “rights” at all and are subject to change at any moment.
Think about it…
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