The Right to Privacy

                The right to privacy is the right to be left alone. It was not derived directly from the specific guarantees in the Bill of Rights. However, there are many indications within the Bill of rights that imply that the Framers had expected that some areas of life should be off limits to government regulation.  The right to exercise private, personal beliefs is guaranteed by the First Amendment, and the guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures contained in the Fourth Amendment. It implies that persons can be secure in their homes and should not fear that police will show up at their doorsteps without cause. The Third, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments also contain aspects protecting one’s right to privacy.

                Birth control has been a controversial topic for some time. Some states often barred the sale of contraceptives to minors, prohibited the display of contraceptives, or even banned their sale altogether. In Griswald v. Conneticuit, Griswold gave information, instruction, and other medical advice to married couples concerning birth control. She was convicted under a Connecticut law which criminalized the provision of counseling, and other medical treatment, to married persons for purposes of preventing conception. It was finally decided that together, the First, Third, Fourth, and Ninth Amendments, created a new constitutional right, the right to privacy in marital relations. The Connecticut statute conflicted with the exercise of this right and was therefore null and void. Other rights to privacy include the right to have an abortion, and practice homosexual acts.