Table Of ContentPersonal Freedom through Human Rights Law?
International Studies in Human Rights
Volume 98
Personal Freedom through
Human Rights Law?
Autonomy, Identity and Integrity under the
European Convention on Human Rights
By
Jill Marshall
LEIDEN • BOSTON
2009
T is book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Marshall, Jill, 1966–
Personal freedom through human rights law : autonomy, identity, and integrity
under the European Convention on Human Rights / by Jill Marshall.
p. cm. — (International studies in human rights, ISSN 0924-4751 ; v. 98)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-90-04-17059-9 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Human rights. 2. Convention
for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1950) 3. Liberty.
4. Autonomy. 5. Identity (Philosophical concept) 6. Integrity. 7. Persons (Law)
8. Privacy, Right of. 9. Freedom of information. 10. Freedom of religion. I. Title.
K3240.M369 2008
341.4’8—dc22
2008033135
ISSN 0924-4751
ISBN 978 90 04 17059 9
Copyright 2009 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, T e Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing,
IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP.
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Fees are subject to change.
printed in the netherlands
Contents
Acknowledgements ....................................................................... ix
Chapter 1. Introduction to the book ........................................... 1
PART I
HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOM
Chapter 2. Personal Freedom and Human Rights Law ............... 13
Introduction ............................................................................. 13
Diff erent Conceptions of Freedom .......................................... 15
Human Rights ......................................................................... 20
Human Dignity and Human Rights ........................................ 23
International Human Rights Legal Protection of a Right to
P ersonhood? ......................................................................... 30
Conclusions ............................................................................. 32
Chapter 3. T e European Convention on Human Rights and
P ersonhood .............................................................................. 33
Introduction ............................................................................. 33
Interpretative Principles ........................................................... 36
Proportionality and Balancing ................................................. 38
Margin of Appreciation ........................................................... 42
Positive Obligations ................................................................. 44
Conclusions ............................................................................. 46
PART II
PRIVACY AND PERSONAL AUTONOMY AT THE
EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Chapter 4. From Privacy to Personal Autonomy ......................... 49
Introduction ............................................................................. 49
vi Contents
Defi nitions of Privacy .............................................................. 50
Privacy and the ECHR: An Introduction ................................ 54
Personal Autonomy and Critiques ........................................... 57
Conclusions ............................................................................. 67
Chapter 5. T e ECtHR’s Development of Respect for Private
Life into a Real Right to Personal Autonomy .......................... 69
Introduction ............................................................................. 69
Relationships with Other Human Beings ................................ 71
Surveillance .............................................................................. 75
Relationships with the “Outside World” ................................. 80
Conclusions ............................................................................. 85
PART III
PERSONAL IDENTITY AND THE EUROPEAN
COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Chapter 6. Personal Identity Defi nitions ..................................... 89
Introduction ............................................................................. 89
Personal Identity ...................................................................... 89
Self-Determination and Self-Realisation .................................. 96
Conclusions ............................................................................. 100
Chapter 7. Sexual Identity ........................................................... 103
Introduction ............................................................................. 103
Homosexuality ......................................................................... 104
Group Homosexual Sex ........................................................... 110
Family Matters ......................................................................... 115
T e Military ............................................................................. 116
Transsexualism ......................................................................... 119
Conclusions ............................................................................. 122
Chapter 8. Identity and Access to Information Important to
One’s Identity .......................................................................... 123
Introduction ............................................................................. 123
Access to Information about One’s Childhood ........................ 124
Access to Information about One’s Origins ............................. 126
Contents vii
Essence and Existence .............................................................. 133
Conclusions ............................................................................. 138
Chapter 9. Religious Identity ....................................................... 139
Introduction ............................................................................. 139
T e Islamic Headscarf Cases at the ECtHR ............................ 142
Gender Equality, Identity and Choices .................................... 150
Religious Symbols and Identity ............................................... 158
Conclusions ............................................................................. 160
PART IV
PERSONAL INTEGRITY
Chapter 10. Bodily and Moral Integrity Rights .......................... 165
Introduction ............................................................................. 165
Unwanted Intrusions ............................................................... 168
Physical Abuse ......................................................................... 170
Treatment of the Disabled ....................................................... 178
Medical Interventions .............................................................. 181
Mental Health .......................................................................... 184
Pregnancy, Abortion, Giving Birth and Parenthood ................ 185
Dying ....................................................................................... 197
Conclusions ............................................................................. 201
Chapter 11. Conclusion to the book ........................................... 203
Bibliography ................................................................................. 207
Index ............................................................................................ 231
Acknowledgements
Examining conceptions of personal freedom and identity and linking
these to the European Court of Human Rights’ jurisprudence is not
an easy task. In the last few years, this project has been a large part of
my life from its fruition as research on the Islamic headscarves cases
and women’s autonomy. Along the way, various people have greatly
supported me, off ered in the form of friendship, relief from the project
or comments on drafts of diff erent versions of the work. I’d like to thank
my friends and family for being there and to specifi c colleagues for their
support and sometimes comments on earlier versions of specifi c parts of
this book: including Alison Diduck, Malgosia Fitzmaurice, Roy Gilbar,
Emily Jackson, Nicola Lacey and Harriet Samuels. T anks also to Duncan
Richards for his research assistance and to Lindy Melman and all the team
at Martinus Nijhoff /Brill for their great work.
Certain sections of chapter nine have been drawn from work published
as “Conditions for Freedom? European Human Rights Law and the Islamic
Headscarf Debate” (2008) 30 Human Rights Quarterly 631.
T is book is dedicated to my parents, Iris and Roy Marshall.
