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The Dignity Of Sex, Libby Adler

Libby S. Adler

Dignity, for a long time, has stood for at least two broad ideas. The first idea is that all human beings have dignity innately. This idea has a theological incarnation, according to which human beings have dignity because they were created in the image of God, as well as a secular incarnation, according to which human beings have dignity because they have rationality. Dignity in its second usage derives from social rank. It distinguishes rather than equalizes us. This article reviews the concept of dignity historically, examines contemporary constitutional cases regarding sex from a few different national jurisdictions, and urges …