What is Act Utilitarianism? Explain how act utilitarianism is at odds with the idea that individuals have rights.

Act utilitarianism is a teleological ethical theory propounded by Jeremy Bentham. It  proposes that actions should be judged individually on their ability to bring about the ‘Principle of Utility’. That is, actions should be done if and only if it produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. 
It's three central propositions are as follows:

1. Actions are to be judged right or wrong solely by virtue of their consequences; nothing else matters.
   
2. In assessing consequences, the only thing that matters is the amount of happiness or unhappiness that is created; everything else is irrelevant.
   
3. Each person’s happiness counts the same.
   For act utilitarians, the consequences of an action are the primary bearers of ethical value. Therefore, utilitarians are likely to promote sacrificing individuals if the principle of utility (achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people) is produced. For example, act utilitarians are likely to support the execution of one innocent child if that action saves the lives of five adults. This seems at odd with traditional ethical theories which take a more deontological approach, for example, the ‘do not murder’ commandment propounded in Christianity. Even if good outcomes can sometimes be achieved by violating rights, traditional morality would not promote for them to be set aside so easily. For this reason, act utilitarianism does seem at odds with the idea that individuals have rights.