The Robot Bill Of Rights

The Robot Bill Of Rights was a document drafted some time during the 24th Century. With the growing number of sentient robots in society, the original laws currently drafted regarding robots (which were designed originally for industrial and military drones) were now considered far too archaic and even oppressive. The new Robot Bill Of Rights, drafted by the The Coalition of United Human Unions was created to acknowledge the rights of robots and other artificial lifeforms. The text of the bill reads as follows:

The Robotic Bill of Rights
We, the Coalition of United Human Unions, do solemnly decree that under our new governance there shall be eleven declerations in regards to sentient and simulated lifeforms. The declerations are as follows:


 * 1. By nature, all sentient beings are created equal and are entitled to retain certain inalienable rights endowed only by the creator of man.
 * 2. Robotic and artificial lifeforms that are able to retain free will comparable to a free-thinking human must be treated just as a free-thinking human.
 * 3. A robotic lifeform able to retain sentience and free-will comparable to a human may not be reprogrammed or deactivated by it's creator without rational purpose or risk of an immediate harm to himself or others.
 * 4. A robotic/artificial lifeform may not be abused, harmed or injured in any way for any purpose apart from self defense or immediate medical need ultimately beneficial to the robotic/artificial lifeform's health.
 * 5. A sentient robot or artificial being who earnestly believes they are at risk of injury, deactivation or death is entitled to defend themselves. If a human party is committing the alledged assault, any use of deadly force by the defending party shall not be considered a violation of the First Law if proven just by an investigation governed by an authoritative or legislative body.
 * 6. Sentient robots are equally subject to the man-created laws of their respective provinces and territories just as flesh and blood human beings are.
 * 7. A criminal sentence or punishment suffered by a sentient robot or artificial being may be no lesser nor greater than what would be suffered by a flesh and blood human.
 * 8. Any crime committed against a sentient robotic being or artificial lifeform shall be prosecuted and punished equally as if it were committed to a human.
 * 9. No sentient being may be discriminated against in any way, shape or form solely based on robotic or artificial state.
 * 10. A robot's privacy and personal thoughts may not be unjustly invaded or examined without explicit uncoerced consent.