Human Rights

Human Rights

1. The UDHR and the United States Bill of Rights do not have as many similarities as one might think, but some do exist. One of these similarities of these two documents is the freedom from torture and inhumane treatment. In the UDHR this freedom can be found in article 5 when it is stated protection is provided against, "torture, under any circumstances." This coincides with article 8 of the United States Bill of Rights, which states, "excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." Freedom of religion is also mentioned in both documents. Both Article 18 of the UDHR and Article 1 of the U.S. Bill of rights say that people have the right to exercise whatever religion or belief they may have without interference from government. Article 4 of the U.S. Bill of rights says people have the right to be, "secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects …" This coincides with article 12 of the UDHR which states, "no one can intrude on your family, home, or correspondence." Both of these articles state that people should have the right to have peace of mind that they are safe from have their property and homes looked through for no particular reason.

2. There are more than a few differences between the UDHR and the U.S. Bill of Rights, but there are some, which stand out from the others. A glaring difference between the two documents is in Article 2 of the U.S. Bill of Rights. This article states the right for individuals to own arms in the United States. There is no mention of anything even close to being related to this article anywhere in the UDHR. Another major difference can be found in the UDHR's 25th article. This article says,...

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...ticles, which protect the right for individuals to be fairly treated before the law. A person's right to be looked at as innocent until proven guilty before the law is something which all nations should put in place and enforce. Lastly, but perhaps most important is an individuals right to have all their basic needs met. No one should have to live in poverty and struggle through life. The only rights, which I don't believe should be universal, are included in Articles 13 and 14. I think that people should not be able to leave the country they reside in and be able to freely reenter when they choose. Certain circumstances would dictate when this right should be put into place, but if someone committed a crime or was dodging a draft I do not believe they should be allowed instant entrance back into the country in which they left without some kind of prosecution.