A ban restricts while a right permits. Laws and contracts impose restrictions, but do not remove rights. Governments have legislation describing citizens’ rights, and are careful when imposing restrictions. Bans historically include alcohol prohibition. Some laws grant both a prohibition and a right, such as the minimum age for purchasing alcohol or voting. Often, a law places a restriction until a requirement is met, then grants a right.
The difference between a ban and a right is fundamental. A prohibition is a restriction against something. A right is the permission to do something. Typically, laws and contracts impose restrictions on a person’s actions; they do not remove a person’s rights.
A right is sometimes considered an abstract idea of what a person is entitled to by law or tradition. It is sometimes difficult to define how these rights are received. Many governments have a body of legislation describing the rights afforded to citizens. Governments are often careful when imposing restrictions on the rights conferred in these documents.
A ban limits or restricts what can be done. Historically, one of the biggest bans has been the prohibition of alcoholic beverages. Laws passed relating to alcohol restricted its production, transportation, sale and consumption. In this case, the difference between a ban and a right could be extreme. The ban was so extensive that it restricted all rights associated with alcoholic beverages.
Many jurisdictions have a minimum age that must be met for a person to legally purchase alcoholic beverages. This age varies by jurisdiction. One cannot buy alcoholic beverages until a certain age. The right granted is that once he reaches a certain age, he can buy alcoholic beverages. In this case, a prohibition and a right are determined by the same law.
Similar circumstances exist in some jurisdictions where a prohibition and a right are established by the same law regarding the right to vote. Most jurisdictions have a minimum age that must be met before a person receives the right to vote. These laws may have some exceptions to reaching the minimum age, such as service in the military; however, the law itself places a restriction on who can vote until a person reaches a certain age. The law grants the right to vote upon reaching that age.
While there is a difference between a prohibition and a right, these two concepts work together in many circumstances. Often a law places a restriction on who or what can be done until a certain requirement is met. When the requirement is met, a special permit can be granted to all or to certain individuals. The first part of the law is a prohibition, and the second part of the law grants a right.
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