Sexual Rights in America : : The Ninth Amendment and the Pursuit of Happiness / / Paul R. Abramson, Mark Huppin, Steven D. Pinkerton.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter New York University Press Backlist eBook-Package 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Abramson, Paul R.,; Huppin, Mark,; Pinkerton, Steven D.,
• Place / Publishing House: New York, NY : : New York University Press, , [2003]; ©2003
• Year of Publication: 2003
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource

The Constitution of the United States guarantees all Americans certain rights, such as the freedoms of speech and religious expression. But what guarantees our sexual freedoms? Sexual Rights in America presents a bold and intriguing look at the constitutional basis of sexual rights in America. Resurrecting the "forgotten" Ninth Amendment, which guarantees those fundamental rights not protected elsewhere in the Constitution, Abramson and colleagues argue that the freedom to choose how, when, and with whom we express ourselves sexually is integral to our happiness. Their careful review of the historical record reveals the importance of the "pursuit of happiness" in the socio-moral philosophy underpinning the Constitution. Sexual freedoms, they assert, are cut from the same cloth as the other freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights, and therefore, should be covered by the Ninth Amendment. Using concrete examples such as prostitution and phone sex, Sexual Rights in America illustrates the scope and limitations of Ninth Amendment sexual rights.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- 1. Sex and the Constitution -- 2. History and Interpretation of the Ninth Amendment -- 3. The Poverty of Privacy -- 4. A Solid Foundation for Sexual Rights -- 5. What Can We Learn from Dial-a-Porn? -- 6. Does Prostitution Deserve Constitutional Protection? -- 7. Child Pornography -- 8. The Past and Future of the Ninth Amendment -- Notes -- References -- Index -- About the Authors