The Far Right and Human Rights: Becoming a Reasonable Conservative

One of the increasing trends that we see is the denial of inherent human rights at all, whether they are an extension of progressive rhetoric domestically or of international concerns. Some such as Christian Far Right nationalists may deny human rights, but affirm natural rights. They may do so for a number of reasons, especially as progressive begin to increasingly associate human rights with social issues like abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights, some of which are incompatible with the conservative position. So, when a progressive is arguing using the basis of human rights as an assumed axiom, the conservative will simply deny them out of spite. 

How then, should we advocate for human rights as a reasonable conservative? The more agreeable idea is human dignity. Human dignity, or the inherent value of human life that demands respect, is not only associated with the religious idea of intrinsic transcendent worth, but also recognizable in all cultures, regardless of background. Additionally, whereas appeals to human rights may be associated with other ideas such as healthcare or education rights, whose legitimacy as human rights may be contested (as opposed to civil or societal rights), human dignity does not have such associations. 


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