With all the vitriol, ridicule and scorn it attracts, its easy to forget the Human Rights Act is a force for good. Although the law only came into force in 2000, it incorporates the post-war European Convention On Human Rights, inspired by Sir Winston Churchill. <\/p>\n
Ironic when its his Tory party that now want to axe it. <\/p>\n
Civil liberties champion Michael Mansfield QC says: If the Human Rights Act were scrapped people would soon realise how our daily lives benefit whether its in health, people in care, child abuse and so many other issues. <\/p>\n
But with the amount of flak its facing, its time to ape the classic Romans scene in the Monty Pythons Life of Brian and answer the question: What has the Human Rights Act ever done for us? <\/p>\n
An obsession with UFOs saw Aspergers Syndrome sufferer Gary McKinnon hack into Pentagon and Nasa computers. US prosecutors tried to extradite him and he faced a 60-year jail term. <\/p>\n
Following a 10-year fight by his family, Home Secretary Theresa May blocked the request in 2012 under Article 3 of the Human Rights Act which forbids degrading treatment or punishment. She said Gary, 46, of Notts, was seriously ill and he would probably commit suicide if taken to the States. <\/p>\n
Servicemen and women sent off to war without the correct equipment can now use the Human Rights Act to sue the government. <\/p>\n
The UK Supreme Court ruled that relatives of four servicemen who died in Iraq had a right to life when they died inside the lightly-armoured Snatch Land Rovers, nicknamed mobile coffins. At least 37 UK soldiers have died in Iraq and Afghanistan inside these vehicles. <\/p>\n
Beth Warren won the right to have a child using her dead husbands sperm thanks to Article 8 of the Human Rights Act, which enshrines respect for for privacy and family life. <\/p>\n
After he died in 2012 a sample frozen before he had cancer treatment was due to be destroyed under existing rules until Beth, 28, used the act to block the move. Now the sperm will be frozen until 2023, giving her the choice of when to start a family. <\/p>\n
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Link: With all the vitriol, ridicule and scorn it attracts, its easy to forget the Human Rights Act is a force for good. Although the law only came into force in 2000, it incorporates the post-war European Convention On Human Rights, inspired by Sir Winston Churchill. Ironic when its his Tory party that now want to axe it. Continue reading
\nIt helps us every day but what has the Human Rights Act done for you?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"