Natural rights theory relies on the idea that human beings, being born into the world, have a set of inherent natural rights stemming from labor and self-defense. These include the right to bear arms, freedom of religion, freedom of speech and association, and many other rights, which, today Americans hold sacred.
The Supreme Court has held that corporations - legal structures designed to limit the liability of owners - also have many of the same legal rights as human beings. This was first upheld as precedent by the Supreme Court in Pembina Consolidated Silver Mining Co. v. Pennsylvania (125 U.S. 181 (1888), and continues to mire our concerns with anticipation of McCutcheon v FEC. If a corporation, a fictitious entity created by mere whimsy of law, is guaranteed legal protection by the United States, why doesn't our government apply the same rights to the largest corporation to which we are all shareholders - the Earth?
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