Personal rights


Personal rights are the rights that a person has over their own body. In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, personal rights are defined as "rights appertaining to the person". Among personal rights are associated rights to protect and safeguard the body, most obviously protected by the torts of assault and battery. Furthermore, aspects of personality, such as a person's reputation and honour, are protected by the tort of defamation, legislation protecting the privacy of individuals, and freedom of movement.
In English land law, a personal right refers to the permission to use land for a specific purpose that is personal to the owner and which cannot bind future purchasers of the land. A personal right is thus distinct from a proprietary (property) right which refers to a right that affects the land itself, such as a freehold or leasehold.