On December 10, 1948, the General Assembly adopted a Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration, while not legally binding, created “a common standard of achievement for all people and all nations… to promote respect for such rights and freedoms” (Goodhart, 379). However, many cultures say the human rights policies outlined in the declaration undermine cultural beliefs and practices. This statement makes the quest for universal human rights very difficult to achieve. I would like to focus on articles 3, 14 and 25 to explain how these articles could be modified to incorporate cultural differences, without completely compromising the research of human rights practices. Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person” (Goodhart, 379). This article creates cultural discrepancies that are rooted in the interpretation of undefined and ambiguous language. For example, there are cultural controversies regarding the definition of “person.” In many monotheistic cultures, abortion is considered a crime. Supporters of this opinion argue that a fetus is a human being from conception. With these claims the fetus has the right to live and any woman who aborts, regardless of the circumstances, violates the human rights of the fetus. To eliminate this cultural disagreement, it is necessary to succinctly define the terms of the article. For example, the article might read: “every breathing human being has the right to life, liberty and security.” Under these changes, the definition protects the lives of all breathing humans; eliminating the cultural discrepancy of what constitutes a life. In due course, the ideology… middle of paper… strict ideology is the supreme law would become an ethnocentric ideology, undermining the concepts of diversity and acceptance. Furthermore, in a globalized society, it is important to respect and understand other cultures. For this reason, key cultural differences must be taken into account when creating a security system to ensure a cohesive global society. I believe that the best way to take into account major cultural differences, without completely compromising the search for a universal declaration of human beings, is through the democratic majority. Works Cited Amico, Celeste. “Social Contract Theory [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy].” Encyclopedia of philosophy on the Internet. Hamilton College, 15 October 2004. Web. 01 October 2011. Goodhart, Michael, ed. Human rights: politics and practices. Oxford: Oxford University Pres, 2009. Print.