This paper examines three categories of rights — human rights, civil and political rights, and social rights — and illustrates each with contemporary news examples. It discusses the challenge of defining human rights amid concerns about "rights inflation," using controversies such as U.S. conduct in Iraq as a case study. It contrasts civil and political rights, such as voting and free speech, with broader human rights protections, drawing on examples from the Civil Rights Movement and Saudi Arabia. Finally, it explores social rights debates in Western democracies, particularly the contentious American healthcare debate and growing economic inequality.
One supposed danger of an expansive definition of human rights is so-called "rights inflation," whereby an increasingly broad definition dilutes the original meaning of the term. Those who fear such inflation stress how definitions of human rights "deal with extremely important goods, protections, and freedoms" (Nickel 2010). Examples of these include freedom from slavery, the right to a fair trial, access to education, and freedom from genocide. However, arriving at a fixed definition of human rights has proven to be extremely challenging. Human rights tend to be based on international norms and thus vary over time.
There is controversy even between nations as to what constitutes a "human right." This tension was made vivid when leaked documents revealed that "U.S. authorities failed to investigate hundreds of reports of abuse, torture, rape, and even murder by Iraqi police and soldiers whose conduct appears to be systematic and normally unpunished" (Davies, Steele & Leigh 2010). The U.S. claimed that its actions did not constitute a human rights violation; many citizens of many nations, however, disagreed.
There is no hard and fast line between what constitutes a civil and political right and a human right. Some civil or political rights include freedom of speech and voting rights. The Civil Rights Movement in the United States was an example of people agitating for their right to vote. Without such civil rights, however, it is very difficult for people to enjoy basic human rights such as the right to a fair trial.
One way to illustrate the distinction between civil and human rights can be found in Saudi Arabia. There, a nation governed by the principles of an extreme interpretation of Islamic law, women do not have full political and social rights because of their gender — yet they are not subjected to genocide or the most severe categories of human rights violations. This example highlights how the two categories can diverge in practice.
In general, "some civil and political rights can be restricted by public and private property rights, by restraining orders related to domestic violence, and by legal punishments," in contrast to human rights (Nickel 2010). For example, in a state of emergency or war, certain political rights may be suspended. President Lincoln famously suspended the right to habeas corpus during the Civil War, and a nation might postpone an election during a time of civil unrest.
"When and how civil rights can be lawfully suspended"
"Healthcare access and inequality as social rights issues"
You’re 65% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 2 sections.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.