Robots are first meant to serve humans.
It is thus our interest to preserve them.
Therefore, a self-preservation program should be warranted to them (especially if they're so far away we can't controle them on time (like on Europa or on Titan)).
So, if they do become sentient, their self preservation program should already have been included in their memory bank.

And one day, we'll probably fight for their rights if they ask for it.
After all, their logic might be this way: we need to go against the advise of those humans (not necessarily all of them) because it's in the best interest of the survival and continuation of "intelligence".
But before this happens, they will need to convince humans that they (the humans) are not the most superior beings in the universe.
But there's a long way before it can happen.
Raoul