Honda Element right door lock: unsafe?

Just noticed that when the right-hand door of our Element is locked,
pulling out on the door-opening latch doesn't pop the lock button up and
allow you to open the door; you have to reach awkwardly behind your
right shoulder and lift the lock button up (even when car is in Park,
but ignition key is on).

Seems to me in other cars we've owned pulling the latch does unlock any
door, and it should work this way for safety reasons: there could be
times when you want to get out in a hurry, including maybe in a
stressful situation, or for an elderly or handicapped individual who
can't reach back that far.

Or is this a child-safety type provision? Or maybe a user-settable
option?