That's a very important distinction to make, though I grant you that pretending this distinction doesn't exist has been the MO of politics and media for a while now.
My point is I can decide to marry a man or a woman now and before I could only decide to marry women. Currently I despise the idea of marriage so I'm not doing either, but there's many things I have the freedom to do that I choose not to. I still like to have that freedom. It seems you were making some deeper point than me or you have a different idea of what makes "a group" (since you called abortion a group right even though it applies to every woman).
That framing of course is absurd because women in the USSR also had more chance of their brothers being disappeared, etc.
To rephrase the comment above slightly, the gain of rights for a particular group isn’t a replacement for a loss of universal rights. The loss of universal rights is always more serious because it leads to the darkest paths that a society can take.
Many western countries have not experienced repression in two or more generations and cultural memory is starting to fade.
At least we can discuss about it. But ability to make diolague shrinks due to overconsumption of naratives full of fear. That bothers me quite a bit.
We pretend to solving problems by creating ridiculous ammount of regulations and laws instead of removing those non functional.
I think you might refer to how political discourse in western democracies increasingly seems not appeal to reason and common ground, but to "feelings" including fear, but also disgust, love of tribe and similar.
It seems to be that way but I'm not sure it wasn't always. Maybe people who want rational discourse about policy should seek forums that does just that, and not look to be informed by campaign slogans and the mudwrestling that goes on in social media. And maybe that's how it always was.
I'm not sure.
1. The Human Rights Act 1998: This Act incorporates into UK law the rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights. It effectively brings these rights closer to home, allowing individuals to seek redress for alleged breaches of these rights in the domestic courts rather than having to go to Strasbourg. This increases individual freedom by providing easier access to legal remedies.
2. The Freedom of Information Act 2000: This legislation enables the public to request information from public bodies. This contributes to the transparency of public bodies, supports the public's right to know, and increases democratic control.
3. The Equality Act 2010: This consolidates previous anti-discrimination laws into one Act, with the aim of ensuring equal treatment for all, regardless of characteristics such as race, sex, disability, etc. This enhances individual freedom by providing protection against discrimination and promoting equality.
4. The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012: This law contains a variety of measures intended to protect civil liberties and roll back state intrusion. It restricts the retention of DNA and fingerprints by the police and regulates the use of surveillance powers, enhancing individual privacy.
5. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013: This Act legalised same-sex marriage in England and Wales, thereby increasing the freedom of individuals to marry regardless of their sexual orientation. This represents a significant expansion of rights for the LGBTQ+ community.
6. The Children and Families Act 2014: This Act includes provisions that give parents and young people greater control over support for children with special educational needs. This enhances the rights and freedoms of children with special educational needs and their parents.
7. The Modern Slavery Act 2015: This Act aimed to increase the penalties and powers to prevent modern slavery. By consolidating slavery and trafficking offences, it gives more protection to individuals who might be victims of such practices.
8. The Mental Health (Discrimination) Act 2013: This law removes legislative barriers to people with mental health conditions serving in certain public roles (like MPs, jurors, or company directors). This increases individual freedom by reducing discrimination against people with mental health conditions.
9. Data Protection Act 2018: This legislation incorporated the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) into UK law, giving individuals greater control over their personal data. It increased individual freedom by giving people rights such as the right to access their personal data, the right to correct inaccurate data, and the right to have data deleted in certain circumstances.