I am not familiar with the list of rights promulgated by the United Nations. I believe that the list includes such things as the "right" to full employment, the "right" to education, and the "right" to full redress in the courts. I don't perceive how any of these are rights.
I have the "right" to be left alone, unless I interfere with your rights. That includes the "right" to have my property left alone, too.
I have thought about this a lot, lately, because I have come down with rheumatoid arthritis, which was for a few weeks uncontrolled, and terrifying. I was unable to dress myself, feed myself or stand up to go to the bathroom without terrible pain, and needed assistance. I could not drive, for example, so if I wanted to eat, someone had to go to the store for me, and cook for me. I felt bad about being dependent on my husband, because we had been talking about separating, and I felt, and still feel, that his assistance was grudging. I am taking a lot of drugs that control the disease, but I still think about what it means to be disabled. I don't see how I have the "right" to force someone to take care of me. If I can pay someone, or persuade someone, to take care of me, well and good. But, if not, I don't think I should be able to force others to take care of me. |
