The Right to Privacy

by Peter Saint-Andre

2008-02-11

A Popular Science article by Catherine Price contains the following gem:

A Gallup poll of approximately 1,000 Americans taken in February 1999 found that 70 percent of them believed that the Constitution "guarantees citizens the right to privacy." Wrong. The Constitution doesn't even contain the word.

Sorry, Ms. Price, but the Constitution doesn't need to contain the word "privacy" in order to protect the right, because the Bill of Rights includes something called the Ninth Amendment:

The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

The Founders were a lot wiser than Popular Science writers, and perhaps the American people are as well.


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