How Old Do You Have To Be Before You Get Your Constitutional Rights.

originally posted by: JIMC5499
I have a question and I am looking for your opinions. Once I get some opinions I'll expand this to explain why I am asking.

How old do you have to be before you get your Constitutional Rights?

I know that the 14th Amendment specifies voting age and the ages for holding office. I am not referring to that.

Legally, at adulthood. The courts have agreed that certain rights are withheld for minors and those incapable of making informed decisions (someone in a coma, for example. Or someone like my friend's adult son who is autistic and not verbal.)

The Constitution, by the way, grants the legislative branch the power to make this decision about who gets what rights when. It's in the oldest part of the Constitution, before the Bill of Rights or the Amendments were written and accepted.

a reply to: AaarghZombies

In 1973 the SCOTUS declared that constitutional rights “do not end at the schoolhouse door”. This is when dress codes of the 50s went away in the 70s. But by the 90s they have returned, because they still believe children have no rights.

originally posted by: Dalamax
A foetus is not a civilian.

It is not a party to the social compact.

a reply to: joejack1949

This is the mythical thing no one signs, but that is constantly used to browbeat people into giving up things they don't want to for the convenience of others?

a reply to: Byrd

Well no wonder no one in power cares about childhood slavery. They don't have rights to things like their life, liberty, or the pursuit of their own happiness until they can also vote.

How convenient.

a reply to: JIMC5499
The constitution and bill of rights foundation is built upon what is self evident.

However the conundrum it is is left to interpretation.
Wide spectrum of meshing/contradiction of beliefs/ideology.

The only common ground availed is through equal compromise.

a reply to: ketsuko
I imagine a two year old could be quite happy exploring that special cabinet that is kept locked. Opening all those bottle of harmful and poisonous substances and tasting them. Mixing the bleach with the ammonia..
Or the nine year old driving their daddy's car down the road or setting the house on fire with the matches he was happy to grab off the table.
Kids can be very happy doing some pretty stupid things. Heck, even at 19 or 20...they are quite happy recklessly driving at record speed down the highway drunker than skunks...
They're happy, till they find themselves in the hospital getting their stomachs pumped, or wreck their daddy's car, or lose their favorite toys in the fire they started, or end up in jail with a dwi and manslaughter charges...

a reply to: loveguy
But, the idea that all men were born with the right to life, liberty, persuit of happiness wasn't really all that self evident, was it?
I mean, kings, lords, priests and clergy pretty much ruled the lives of the serfs, slaves, and peasants for much of human existence. Most of those rights were taken by the people, often by force with blood shed. The common people having such rights was still a rather novel idea.

When you are considered a human. _javascript:icon('')

a reply to: dandandat2

If you are living in a subsidized housing complex around here, you might find that you have no right to gave a gun in your home. And, the right is always dreaming about being able to control what food the poor buys, ect.
I kind of think that the extent a person is independent plays a part in how much freedom they get to enjoy.

Nope. This is the mythical thing that people pay taxes to promote and advance, for the betterment of all.

It requires conscious effort to be a member and a foetus just ain’t got the capacities to participate.

a reply to: ketsuko

a reply to: dawnstar

Of course, the COTUS does not explicitly give one the right to drink poison, conduct home chemistry, or drive.

You and I don't even have those explicit rights.

a reply to: Dalamax

I don't pay taxes to promote and advance a "social compact". No one ever asked me if I wanted to. I was under the impression that this is the law, and if I don't do it, I will suffer penalty. Effectively, this is a decision made beyond me and I am held at gun point.

a reply to: JIMC5499

A better question might be at what age does your right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness begin?

According to the evil left, you are not considered humna, have no basic human rights while you are still in the womb.

According to the left, you can be dismembered at the whim of the female carrying it with full approval of government.


Now with covid, there is no age where you can have individual rights or liberties because the government has stated that they know how to take care of you better than you can.


An Ode to Freedom. . .

Freedom is sooooo yesterday.
Wear a mask.
Obey.
Kill a baby.
It's okay.

a reply to: ketsuko

Umm.. I got a chemistry set when I was a kid, and a microscope. I enjoyed doing the experiments that were in the instructions. It made me happy. Persuit of happiness, right? Walk, drive, whatever... think that would fall under liberty but no one in their right mind would sit and watch their baby crawl into the street would they? What, doesn't that baby have the constitutional right to liberty, the persuit of happiness? That baby should be free to cross that road and check out the pretty flowers on the other side. It would make him happy!!
There is no mention of the right to visit bars and restaurants either... but it seems that alot of people get pretty upset when they are told they can't be served without a mask.

a reply to: DBCowboy

Ummm.. ya know what is self evident?
A fertilized egg, a 7 week fetus, and unborn child does not have any liberty! I mean, it isn't like they can decide they want to go out and take a walk around the block or go to the steakhouse to a good rib eye, is it? They are kind of stuck there, tethered, held confined in that dark place. Fed only what mom provides, and only as much as she provides.
Now, that preteen kid that texas might want to force into motherhood... she has the right to liberty and can use it! She can go to school, play with her friends, and she will know when she is happy and when she isn't. Unless, well, that pregnancy she is being forced to carry to term restricts her activity to the point where she is stuck home staring out the window watching her friends go to school and play outside..

a reply to: dawnstar

Word salad. As usual.

You are incapable of even thinking of the unborn as human because if you did, you'd have to admit that they deserve even basic human rights.

Which is rather sad.

a reply to: dawnstar

Please explain what pursuit of happiness means to you, but perhaps the persuit of happiness is something else of which I am unaware.

I would think no one in their right mind would dismember their baby in the womb, but clearly people do.

a reply to: DBCowboy
It isn't a matter of weather they deserve basic human rights as much as it is that they are incapable of exercising most of them and there is no way we could give those rights to them till they are born, if then. How do you give a non-viable fetus liberty? You can once they have developed enough to be considered viable. But, till then, they really don't have much liberty, do they? They can't even get mad at mom and go into another room to get away from her. Even young children are restricted in their liberty, aren't they? Or. Do you let your 2 year old outside to play alone?

originally posted by: dawnstar
a reply to: DBCowboy

Ummm.. ya know what is self evident?
A fertilized egg, a 7 week fetus, and unborn child does not have any liberty! I mean, it isn't like they can decide they want to go out and take a walk around the block or go to the steakhouse to a good rib eye, is it? They are kind of stuck there, tethered, held confined in that dark place. Fed only what mom provides, and only as much as she provides.
Now, that preteen kid that texas might want to force into motherhood... she has the right to liberty and can use it! She can go to school, play with her friends, and she will know when she is happy and when she isn't. Unless, well, that pregnancy she is being forced to carry to term restricts her activity to the point where she is stuck home staring out the window watching her friends go to school and play outside..

We have talked about this recently.
You are standing on the graves of 60,000,000+ (60+ million) dead children saying "these 60+million deaths were ok because this 600k got to be killed as well".
Once again.
Stop the 99% and we can discuss the 1%.

a reply to: ketsuko

No, you seem to be the one who thinks that fetuses and young children should fully have this right. What do you think it means? Or liberty.