Since the mid-19th century, the U. S. courts have attempted, in a series of landmarkcases, to resolve bitter conflicts over an individual's right to bodily autonomy. In thisintroductory volume, Lynne Curry draws on close readings of U. S. Supreme Court andother 20th-century legal decisions, supporting case materials, public health records, andlegal and medical theories to trace the ways in which the courts' rulings have shaped thedevelopment of such controversial issues as mandatory vaccination, abortion and theright to die.