Well, it is the basis of what you call civil rights. You do not have human rights, you have civil rights. That's because ever since the French Revolution European states have taken Rousseau's ideas (meant to protect humans from the arbitrary ruling of a non-appointed head of State i.e. the king) and codified common law into written law (sheesh, I realize I'm cutting corners here when quickly pointing out the history) but the original idea has deviated since then.

Human rights as you know them (right to a fair trial, open courts, free speech etc etc) didn't exist until the late 1700's with the birth of the First French Republic and the Bill of Rights of the Americas. There was the Magna Carta in England, but that gave only limited protection against arbitraty rule from the king.

Rousseau wrote that Man is born free, with all his free Natural Rights which include the right to kill whomever one doesn't like. In order to avoid such a free natural state (life's brutal, nasty and short already: read Hobbes) he thought it necessary to strip Man from his Natural (human) Rights and instead turn everyone into Citizens/Civilians bequeathed with Civil Laws (codified into law). This was meant to protect people.

The problem with civil rights is that they have been given to you and can just as easily be taken away.

Fast-forward a bit to the 20th century (I know, I'm REALLY cutting corners) and there is-especially in Europe- a growing trend of strenthening the Strawman. It can be found in any lawbook, where it is indicated that you can have a natural personality and/or a legal personality. The legal personality (persona iuris) is given or attached to a living body from the moment a child is registrated with the State and seen as to have ended with the death of the natural person (persona naturalis).

Much, much more is written but I don't have the time right now to give you a 4 year course in Philosophy of Law (unfortunately :p Will respond as soon as I have time)