Individual and human rights in tobacco control: help or hindrance?

Rights based arguments are a vital and increasingly important aspect of modern society, but are they vital in the framing and implementation of tobacco control policy and advocacy? Most experts would say yes in principle. Yet, it is less clear what and how much of a role rights should play in the policy declarations, in the training of volunteers, and in the rhetoric of advocacy. In part, the answer depends on one’s perception of rights, which could include individualistic, communitarian, or human rights, each with vastly different implications for policy and behaviour. But even with a common understanding of what is meant by rights, the application of rights arguments in policy contexts is elusive and requires analysis at several levels—from the abstract to the practical. For example, if rights form the foundation upon which tobacco control advocacy can or should be based, how explicit should the use of rights language be in our communications with various stakeholders? Alternatively, if rights do not form the foundation of our movement, what should? And what would it mean for the moral stature of the movement if human or individual rights were …