Intro to Rights
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				Fred

Having a right to do something may oblige other people to allow you to do that thing. Or having a right to something may mean that someone has an obligation to provide you with that thing. Therefore, it becomes useful to phrase one's arguments in terms of rights. Rights often seem like trump cards that top all others. Partly for this reason, talk about rights plays a prominent role in American politics (including debates about affirmative action, abortion, and many other questions).

Supporters of affirmative action sometimes say it is necessary to guarantee the right to equal opportunity or to honor the right to compensation for injustice. Critics of strong affirmative action believe that it rides roughshod over the equal opportunity rights of whites or the right of private employers to hire whomever they wish.

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