I dont know about the start of this

My take on the opening of the issue of the proliferation of "rights" is that perhaps in some cases there are not rights in that some can make claims to such as animals and trees but we still have duties to animals and trees. So, I agree with Wellman that perhaps the use of this term of "rights" is over used and perhaps even deflates its effectiveness in serious issues. But that may not be a real reason not to pass a law which legally protects things, like trees and animals, that we have a duty towards all the same. The question then becomes trickier when dealing with humans, because in some cases such as abortion or going on strike(even teachers and firefighters) I believe that these groups do have rights they can claim and the city or country or company or whatever do have duties to them which they are capable of making claim to. But then what is within their rights to do in order to gain the rights which are owed them? Other groups like his argument for children seems to be the one which is most troubling for me. He seems to say that while parents or gaurdians owe children in their care duties the children are unable to make a claim to these duties and are dependent upon the care of the parent/gaurdian thus can not make a claim to rights. I feel that this treds on some very sketchy ground. How far do we take an argument of inability to articulate a claim to be sufficient evidence that someone is unworthy of the rights others have. I am not willing to agree that a human child is void of the human right not to be beaten by her parents simply because the child can not articulate a claim to the right and is dependent on her parents for survival. It is my opinion(which may be found wrong at somepoint in this course) that even if a human is not capable of making a claim to a right she is still intitled to the right and the claim can be made for her even if it is against those that would by nature be deemed the provider for that individual. But it is always possible I missed the point