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If we are obliged to honor someone's right to X under all circumstances, then we can say that his or her right to X is absolute. But it is not clear which rights are absolute, if any. Many philosophers believe that even when someone has a right to X (or to do X), others may sometimes be justified in overriding that right. Judith Thomson suggests that I may be justified in driving across your property in order to take a dying child to a hospital. This may be true even though you have posted "KEEP OUT" signs on your property.

Even if I have a right to do X, it may not always be true that I am justified in doing X given the only means available or the particular consequences of doing X in the current situation.

The upshot of these concerns is that having a right to X may not be quite the trump card it is sometimes thought to be. It may not guarantee that I am justified in doing X in the current situation. Or it may be others are justified in overriding my right to X. These concerns arise in any context, including affirmative action.