Rights and Responsibilities in a Democracy: Why Freedom Requires Accountability

Every Human Has Rights...and Responsibilities

We are consumed by our demand for rights: the right to free speech, to assemble, to health. Rights give us the freedom to move about in safety and to choose our friends. These are the benefits of a modern, democratic society. Others cannot simply come along and deny us these rights.

Less conspicuous in this partially written social contract is the fact that our demand for rights must also allow for - and protect - those same rights for others. We often talk about our rights - free speech, assembly, health - without acknowledging their twin obligations. To understand rights and responsibilities in a democracy, we must recognize that demanding our own freedoms also requires us to protect those same freedoms for others.

‘Responsibility’ is the second condition of a free and democratic society. One cannot exist without the other. Yet “freedom-lovers” rarely talk about their responsibility to protect the rights of others. If I demand the right to breathe clean air, I also have a responsibility to ensure that others can do the same. Since breathing clean air is recognized as a right in Canada and in several U.S. states, it is incumbent upon us to act responsibly and protect that right for all.

But what happens when a job - say, coal mining - conflicts with a neighbour’s right to clean air? Which prevails? We could simply prioritize those rights, in which case one party loses.

A better approach may be to recognize that a healthy workforce is essential to both society and the companies that employ them. It becomes the company’s responsibility to safeguard its workers’ health rather than relegate them to a black-lung ward. If that cannot be done economically, then perhaps there are alternatives to coal. And if alternatives exist, a government may well be justified in reshaping the economic structure to reflect that reality.

Let’s look at another example. An anti-vaxxer who vigorously claims the right not to be immunized heads off to a reunion with friends at Sturgis. There he contracts COVID-19, comes home, and passes it on to his unvaccinated child, who then dies from it. Should he be held accountable under the law? Rights and responsibilities. Respectful citizens recognize both - and act accordingly.