Making laws is a right of the members of the community

From My Way of Life - Pocket edition of St. Thomas - The Summa simplified. Publisher: Confraternity of the Precious Blood (1952)Author: Fr. Walter Healy and Fr. Martin Farrell

Chapter XIII - Law: The Road-Map to Happiness

"...Since the happiness of the individual is possible, in practice, only through the pursuit of the common good of the whole community, law will be concerned always with the common good of all the members of the community.

It follows therefore that the making of laws is a right of the members of the community. They may entrust that right to a king or to an elected legislature. But in that case the rulers or government are only exercising the right which society or the community has given them...

...The Natural law is based on man's recognition of the fact that the natural inclination of every creature is in inclination to the good. Recognizing this, human reason sees the first precept of law, that good is to be done and evil to be avoided. All other precepts of the natural law are based on this first precept of the Natural Law. All other laws are intended to achieve the goal of this first law--the attainment of good and the avoidance of evil..."