Sexual Rights in America: The Ninth Amendment and the Pursuit of Happiness [LARGE PRINT] (Hardcover)

by Paul R. Abramson (Author), Steven Pinkerton (Author), Mark Huppin (Author) "THE FREEDOMS OF SPEECH AND PRESS are trumpeted throughout the land..." (more)
Key Phrases: Supreme Court, First Amendment, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"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

"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 and Associate Editor of The Encyclopedia of the American Constitution

"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

"This book has an excellent shot at intellectual immortality."

- Donald Symons, author of The Evolution of Human Sexuality and co-founder of Evolutionary Psychology

"Because sex is so intimate and hidden, few serious scholars defend sexual liberty publicly. Sexual Rights in America bravely fills this void by offering a lucid and serious constitutional defense of this vital aspect of our private lives."

- Randy E. Barnett, Professor of Law, Boston University and author of The Structure of Liberty and Restoring the Lost Constitution

Product 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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: NYU Press; large type edition edition (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814706924
• ISBN-13: 978-0814706923
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,281,963 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life Changing!, December 19, 2003

By	Christopher C. Lee (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a challenging and phenomenal read that was life affirming for me. I'd wholeheartedly recommend this book and any others published by Mr. Huppin et al. The 9th Amendment is too often overlooked in an overzealous pursuit to implant restrictive cultural norms and ethics. Mr. Huppin et al. use a myriad of examples of abuses to make a compelling case for the extension of this amendment to include too-often ignored sexual rights.