The Rights of Man and Responsibility for our Neighbor
When Thomas Jefferson wrote the declaration that set America’s star into the constellation of nations, he founded America on the principle of certain inalienable rights, namely life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. However, many now seem to be confused about what having rights implies.
Some have proposed that to have a right to something, such as life, obligates the provision of necessities for the enjoyment of a right, such as food, water and shelter to maintain life. This proposal has a seed of truth in it, and the Church tells us in the “Catechism” that “respect for the human person entails respect for the rights that flow from his dignity as a creature.”
Yet the Church’s position does not explicitly affirm that food, shelter or other basic necessities must be provided for everyone on communal expense. What she does say is that our duty to our neighbor is a duty to them as if to another self—it’s a call to provide for those around us as individuals.
The Church does not exclude authorities or communities from a duty towards human rights, and says, “it is incumbent on those who exercise authority to strengthen the values of the members of the group and encourage them to put themselves up at the service of others.” But this does not obligate public provision, from the simply prudent consideration that obligated charity is not charity at all.
Even in respecting the rights of others, we must remember that enforced philanthropy is not free love, which redeems the soul and connects him to his fellow man. Furthermore, a government would have to violate a man’s right to his property to get the means to provide for another’s rights, since a political institution derives its income at the expense of its citizenry.
Overall, these so-called “rights” do not qualify for the name, based on the fact that they cannot be provided for without unjust coercion and taxation, and because true charity is a gift of grace that cannot be forcibly mandated.
Furthermore, because our neighbor abuses his right to property by denying charity to the impoverished, can we assume that we are justified in disregarding his right to liberty and property by forcing him to give, or taking it ourselves? In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul reminded the Christians that we ought not to do evil to bring about good.
This principle should inform us about the proper way to respect the rights of others and care about their dignity. Instead of enforcing it upon a community, and subsuming the human call to a state mandate, we ought to take the gifts we have received personally and share them with those who need them.