Is Aging With Dignity a Human Right? U.S., Europe Say ‘No’

Is there a human right to age in dignity? Some countries think so, and have ratified an international convention on the rights of older persons. Neither the United States is likely to do so. The Organization of American States (OAS) recently adopted the first international convention on the human rights of older people — not endorsed by the U.S. The Organization of African Unity (OAU) is debating its own convention and is expected to adopt it next year. Ironically, the world’s poorer countries, presumably those with the fewest resources to deal with aging, are in the vanguard of establishing this set of rights. Meanwhile, the richest countries, including the U.S. and European Union members, are arguing against applying a human rights framework to aging. The United Nations is working on, but has not get issued, a global convention on the rights of the elderly.
    
Source/more: New America Media

David Wingate is an elder law attorney at the Elder Law Office of David Wingate, LLC. The elder law office services clients with powers of attorneys, living wills, Wills, Trusts, Medicaid and asset protection. The Elder Law office has locations in Frederick and Montgomery Counties, Maryland.