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Sexual Rights in America: The Ninth Amendment and the Pursuit of Happiness
Author(s): Paul R. Abramson (Author), Steven D. Pinkerton (Author), Mark Huppin (Author)
- Publisher: New York University Press
- Publication Date: 1 Aug. 2003
- Edition: Large type / Large print
- Language: English
- Print length: 227 pages
- ISBN-10: 9780814706923
- ISBN-13: 0814706924
Book Description
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.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Interesting and well-written. This book presents the ‘Long View’: an ideal toward which concerned lawyers and judges might strive.”–Kenneth Karst, Professor of Law, UCLA
“Sexual Rights in America shows persuasively that the right to sexual expression is grounded in the Constitution, notably in the Ninth Amendment. The friends of pleasure will applaud the book’s rigorous and often sexy argument.”–Paul Robinson, Richard W. Lyman Professor in the Humanities, Stanford University, and author of The Modernization of Sex
“The right to love and make love is nowhere mentioned in the Constitution, and yet issues surrounding abortion, contraception, marriage, gay sex and sexually explicit speech have absorbed the Supreme Court in countless cases. This frank and lucid book peels the fig leaf off various forms of legal regulation of sexuality, and argues with passion and rich historical detail that individuals should have strong autonomy over their own sexual expression as long as their relationships are gounded in consent. The authors’ comprehensive approach makes a considerable contribution to the literature.”–Kathleen Sullivan, Dean, Stanford Law School
“This book has an excellent shot at intellectual immortality.”–Donald Symons, author of The Evolution of Human Sexuality and co-founder of Evolutionary Psychology
About the Author
Steven D. Pinkerton is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Professor Abramson and Dr. Pinkerton have collaborated on several books, including With Pleasure: Thoughts on the Natures of Human Sexuality
Mark Huppin received his J.D. from Stanford Law School and is currently pursuing his Ph.D in psychology at UCLA.
