The Utah Citizens’ Counsel announces the December 10th release of our 2015 report of progress (or lack thereof) toward realization of the human rights stated in our Declaration of Utah Human Rights (below). This report is our second annual report and builds on our 2014 report. Our Declaration serves as the framework for our policy positions, which, this year, address specific aspects of all seven of our rights statements:
Air quality and water availability
Health care cost, quality, and access
Domestic violence and rape
Poverty and its impact on very young children
Redistricting, open primaries, and campaign finance reform
We invite continuing dialogue on the subjects we discuss. We hope that our 2015 report will contribute to ongoing discussion and help to generate public understanding of the many common interests that bind us together as Utahns.
To read the whole report, click on the link below.
To access individual committee reports, click on Committees.
A Declaration of Utah Human Rights
In recognition that the inherent right of every member of the human family to dignity and respect serves as the foundation of freedom, justice, and tranquility in the state of Utah, as well as the United States of America and the world; and in recognition that this right also frames the shared responsibilities of individuals, organizations, and governments; and inspired by the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Utah Citizens’ Counsel (UCC) articulates the following statement of rights as the frame work for UCC policy positions.
Article 1: All Utahns, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender and gender identity, language, disability, political preference, age, birth status, military status, or other status, are entitled equally to dignity and respect as human beings and to equitable treatment under the law.
Article 2: All Utahns, young and old, have the right to live and thrive in a healthy environment that includes clean air, land, and water, and share in the responsibility to pass that healthy environment on to succeeding generations.
Article 3: All Utahns have the right to a public education that ensures literacy, numeracy, critical thinking, character development, and the capability for responsible citizenship to help secure a promising future for Utah and the United States in a complex, interdependent, and competitive world.
Article 4: All Utahns, regardless of circumstances, have the right to comprehensive, quality health care at reasonable cost that protects Utahns from the burdens of catastrophic illness or injury and the ensuing risk of bankruptcy or poverty.
Article 5: All Utahns have the right to security of person, especially freedom from physical harm and psychological abuse, whether experienced within the family or in the community at large.
Article 6: All Utahns have the right to the fundamental social support systems that assist in assuring a standard of living adequate for the well-being of both the individual and families, in all their configurations, including timely assistance in case of unemployment, disability, old age, and natural or man-made disasters.
Article 7: All Utahns have the right to transparent and ethical governance as well as effective participation in the democratic process.