Rights?

[Renee]

No: HPFGUIDX 149929

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Bruce Alan Wilson"
<bawilson at ...> wrote:
>
> "Renee:
> See the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 23
> http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
> 
> Right to employment: yes."
> 
> BAW:
> Which document has as much legal force as any other United Nations
> document--nil.  Of course, any organization that would make Libya
(of all
> countries) the head of their Human Rights Commission has very little
credibility
> on the issue of human rights. (Yes, one can argue that a treaty is
legally
> binding, but treaties that purport to dictate how sovereign nations
manage their
> internal affairs [as opposed to those regulating relations among
nations] are
> dicey, as sovereign nations by nature resist other countries
attempting to
> interfere with their internal self-government; that is what
'sovereign' MEANS
> after all.)
> 
> How does this relate to HP?  The MOM seems to be a sovereign entity;
hence,
> unless its constitution or other foundational document contains
provisions
> establishing a 'right' to education, employment, or anything else,
then that
> right does not, effectively, exist within that sovereignty.  Also,
even if we
> concede that education and employment are human 'rights' on a par
with freedom
> of speech and the like, are werewolves fully human?  Arguably, no.
>

Renee:
If I recall correctly, you were the one who first referred to a
particular manifestation of Real World legislation (in casu, US law)
to question various assumptions/assertions Carol and I made regarding
werewolf rights. And in a HP context, quoting US law makes even less
sense than quoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as JKR
is British. 

You're right to look to the WW itself for more relevant information
Unfortunately, JKR has told us so little about the principles
underlying British wizarding legislation that a proper discussion is
hardly possible. 

Whether werewolves are fully human or not seems to be a matter of
debate. It's true that the WW doesn't consider them fully human. But
it could be argued that werewolves are humans with a dangerous
condition, the worst symptoms of which can be countered by a potion
(nowadays). From the fact that Lupin was intended as a metaphor for
people's reaction to illness and disability one might conclude that
JKR does not subscribe to the opinion of the WW.

Renee