The Limits of Natural Law
Anyone who has graduated from an American high school knows these words from studying the Declaration of Independence in civics class: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Many people could recite that passage without remembering the document from which it originates. Nearly anyone can tell you that they are entitled to “plead the Fifth.” Nobody will let you forget that they possess freedom of speech, even if we sometimes guiltily wish others did not. The language of rights permeates American culture and shapes our understanding of citizenship and democratic government. Yet, while few Americans would argue that we have too many rights—or even question whether rights are ends in themselves—the constitutional amendment I find most intriguing is not among those Americans invoke most often. It is the Ninth. The Ninth Amendment states: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny …
