The Human Body on Trial

Since the mid-nineteenth century, the U.S. courts have attempted, in a series of landmark cases, to resolve bitter conflicts over an individual’s right to bodily autonomy. In this introductory volume, Lynne Curry draws on close readings of U.S. Supreme Court and other twentieth-century legal decisions, supporting case materials, public health records, and legal and medical theories to trace the ways in which the courts’ rulings have shaped the development of such controversial issues as mandatory vaccination, abortion and the right to die.

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26378g

A Sourcebook with Cases, Laws, and Documents

Lynne Curry

2004 - 256 pp.

Grouped product items
Format ISBN Price Qty
Paper 978-0-87220-738-7
$17.00
Instructor Examination (Review) Copy 978-0-87220-738-7
$3.00

ON TRIAL SERIES

This series examines the court rulings and legal opinions that have shaped the development of some of America’s most controversial political and social issues.  Each volume provides a substantial introduction to the history of the issue in question and includes an extensive collection of related documents; a glossary of key people, events, and concepts; a chronology; a table of cases cited; an annotated bibliography; and a comprehensive index.

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Since the mid-nineteenth century, the U.S. courts have attempted, in a series of landmark cases, to resolve bitter conflicts over an individual’s right to bodily autonomy. In this introductory volume, Lynne Curry draws on close readings of U.S. Supreme Court and other twentieth-century legal decisions, supporting case materials, public health records, and legal and medical theories to trace the ways in which the courts’ rulings have shaped the development of such controversial issues as mandatory vaccination, abortion and the right to die.

An extensive collection of important documents is provided, along with a glossary of key people, events, and concepts; a chronology; a table of cases cited; an annotated bibliography; and a comprehensive index.

 

Contents:

Series Foreword. Preface.

PART ONE:

1. Introduction:
- Constitutionalizing the Body
- The Human Body as a Form of Property
- The Regulatory State
- The Right to Privacy
- A Confusing Legacy
- References and Further Reading

2. Historical Background:
- Medicalizing the Body
- The Germ Theory
- Eugenics
- The Crusade for Birth Control
- A Revival of Rights
- The End of Life
- References and Further Reading

3. Cases:
- Compulsory Vaccination: Private Rights versus Police Powers
- Mandatory Sterilization: Eugenics on Trial
- Contraception, Abortion, and the Right to Die: Privacy on Trial
- Conclusion
- References and Further Reading

4. Legacy and Impact:
- End-of-Life Issues on Trial
- Biotechnology on Trial
- References and Further Reading

PART TWO:

Documents:
- Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- “Anti-Vaccination Circular, Distributed During the Epidemic of Small Pox in Boston, 1901”
- Jacobson v. Massachusetts
- Zucht v. King (1922)
- Buck v. Bell (1927)
- Skinner v. Oklahoma (1942)
- Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)
- Roe et al. v. Wade (1973)
- Bowers, Attorney General of Georgia v. Hardwick, et al. (1986)
- Webster, et al. v. Reproductive Health Services, et al. (1989)
- Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania, et al. v. Casey (1992)
- Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Public Health (1990)
- Washington, et al., Petitioners v. Harold Glucksberg, et al. (1997)
- Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act

Key People, Laws, and Concepts

Chronology

Table of Cases

Annotated Bibliography

Index. About the Author.

 

About the Author:

Lynne Curry is Assistant Professor of History, Eastern Illinois University.