At this moment in time, special clarity and commitment are necessary to avoid 'regression' in the area of sensitizing and pressuring for genuine defense and promotion of human rights. Although reflection on human dignity has evolved from the early days of the Church, it is only recently that the pontifical Magisterium has addressed the topic of the rights of man. The Holy Father hoped to remind us of human collectivities with rights. First and foremost among these is the family. Moreover, John Paul II has paid special attention to the rights of indigenous peoples, with whose representatives he has met frequently during his trips.
Many pressure groups invent their own rights according to their special social needs.
We run the risk of not knowing what is meant by 'rights' of man. To answer this question we must have a clear anthropological profile of the one who has such rights. Too often one hears with bewilderment the controversial debates which pretend to consecrate a new 'right' to abortion or euthanasia. In 1949, the proclamation of the Universal Declaration happened thanks to a common conscience that the moral and material devastation of the Second World War demanded a radical change in mankind. Today, fifty years later, it is urgent that consciences be awakened from the 'slumber' that prevails, which could pave the way for new and more subtle forms of persecution and totalitarianism which, seconded by technological development could destroy the progress made to date.