The role of common sense in human rights rulings

guardian.co.uk – Rupert Myers – guardian.co.uk

In the case of transsexual Christine Timbrell, public perception should have been considered in the judgment on her private life

Every so often the Human Rights Act comes to the fore with a decision that frustrates, offends, or confuses large swathes of the population. The most obvious defence of it in such circumstances is often that it is protecting a minority right which may not be popular with the majority, and that such cases are cause for celebration of an act that is fulfilling a counterbalancing role in a democracy ruled by the will of the many.