Dr. James C. Thomas cites in his first lecture assigned for this week that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 25 says “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family.” (Thomas, n.d.). He also noted that the declaration authors neither guaranteed a right to health nor made allowances for individuals whose personal choices impact their health (Thomas, n.d.). Instead, the declaration allows for people to have the right to access a standard minimum level of resources needed for health – a quality standard of living (Thomas, n.d.). The ambiguity leaves much room for interpretation. I think the biggest political question of our day is whether that means people have the right to seek employment and earn a living wage or if that means society is obligated to provide those resources for those who can’t or won’t provide for themselves.
Even if we could agree on specific human rights, measures including the Siracusa Prinicples provide criteria under which various rights can be limited. The Siracusa Principles state that human rights can be restricted as long as the action is legal, not arbitrary or discriminatory, proportionate to the objective, necessary and the least restrictive alternative available to address the situation and based on sound evidence (Boggio, Zignol, Jaramillo, Nunn, Pinet, & Raviglione, 2008).
Keeping this in mind, you can examine public debates over whether the National Security Agency has the right to collect telephone and Internet records in the interest of national security. We have a universal and constitutionally guaranteed right to privacy, but in a Washington Post poll, 57% of people surveyed said they think it’s more important for the federal government to investigate possible terrorist threats even if it intrudes on personal privacy (Washington Post, 2013).
Considering Article 5 from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the right to be free from inhuman or degrading treatment, again it lies in the eye of the beholder. What is degrading to one might be just desserts for another. The Mississippi House last week passed a bill that will require applicants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to complete a questionnaire and, if drug use is indicated, will require them to undergo outpatient treatment for two months (Pettus, 2014). If the person tests positive for drug use at the end of counseling, TANF assistance is cut off (Pettus, 2014). One representative who supported the bill was asked whether TANF recipients are known to be more likely than anyone else to abuse illegal drugs, and she said she had no evidence of that (Pettus, 2014). Additionally, an amendment to the bill would have required other people who receive state financial support including executives and college students to fall under the bills purview as well (Pettus, 2014). The amendment failed. I think this debate is a good example of how a simple measure can be interpreted as being degrading to some.
Resources:
Boggio, A., Zignol, M., Jaramillo, E., et al. (2008). Limitations on human rights: Are they justifiable to reduce the burden of TB in the era of MDR- and XDR-TB. Health and Human Rights: An International Journal. Retrieved from
Pettus, E.W., (2014) Miss. House passes welfare drug-testing bill, Seattle PI. Retrieved from
Thomas, J. (n.d.) Law and ethics in public health, University of North Carolina. Retrieved from
Washington Post (2014). Most think NSA is violating privacy rights but want Snowden charged with a crime, Washington Post ABC News. Retrieved from
According to Dr. Thomas, six values and beliefs build the concept of community: interdependence, trust, collaboration, participation and fundamental requirements for a healthy community (Thomas, n.d.). The rejection of these at some level contributes to a breakdown in community as well as the varying degrees of support for human rights we’ve discussed.
You mentioned that people generally believe in the right to clean water, garbage collection and clean air. Everyone does believe they have a right to those things, but sometimes people will favor the economic benefits of fracking to produce oil regardless of the possible consequences it might have on the water supply surrounding those wells. When those interests are at odds, a community breaks down the support for clean water for all is impacted.
Here’s another example: Remember the floating garbage barge from New York? In 1987, a town in New York contracted to send its garbage by barge to a landfill in North Carolina because its landfill was close to full (Winerip, 2013). The North Carolina developer had a plan, but the people of North Carolina didn’t want ““New York” garbage coming to their state. Neither did the neighbors. The barge was at sea for six months before returning to New York where the garbage was finally incinerated. I don’t think people are tolerant enough to support a human right for someone else that poses a burden on themselves.
Resources
Thomas, J. (n.d.) Law and ethics in public health, University of North Carolina. Retrieved from
Winerip, M. (2013). Voyage of the Mobro 4000, The New York Times. Retrieved from
Sara,
We did the unthinkable last night and actually watched a movie! “Captain Phillips” starring Tom Hanks and new actor Barkhad Abdi, who is a native of Somalia andraised and Minnesota (CaptainPhillipsMovie.com, 2013).
The movie is about the hijacking of Phillips’ ship off the coast of Somalia by Somalian pirates. The first seen shows the “bosses” in Somalia recruiting volunteers to be pirates from a very poor tribe. Abdi’s character volunteers and is the leader of the team going after the ship.
At one point in the movie as Abdi’s character, Muse, holds a gun to Phillips’ head, Phillips asks whether there isn’t something else he could do with his life – implying there’s got to be something more than taking hostages and hijacking ships. Muse replies that no, there is nothing else. I couldn’t help but see that underlying message there: all men aren’t treated equal. Article 23 of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights states everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment and to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment (United Nations, n.d.). It goes on to state that everyone has the right to receive equal pay for equal work (United Nations, n.d.). Many around the world are deprived of that right, however.
This is a Hollywood account of the disparity between the wealthy American shipping companies and workers (who were unionized and complained of the risks of the job) and the Somali pirates who boarded a rundown boat and some not even in shoes to overtake a giant.
Somalia currently has a life expectancy at birth of 53 years for females and 50 for males (U.N. Data, 2014). Other statistics for the country:
- There are 0.04 physicians per 1,000 people
- 37.8% of people 15 and over are literate
- Nearly half of all children ages 5-14, or 1.14 million, work (CIA, n.d.).
Resources:
CaptainPhillipsMovie.com, (2013). Captain Phillips, Columbia Pictures. Retrieved from
United Nations (n.d.) The universal declaration of human rights. Retrieved from
U.N. Data, (2014). World Statistics Pocketbook, United Nations Statistics Division. Retrieved from
CIA (n.d.), The World Fact Book, Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved from