Personal Freedom through Human Rights Law?: Autonomy, Identity and Integrity under the European Convention on Human Rights

Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights provides a right to respect for one’s private life. The European Court of Human Rights has interpreted this provision broadly to include a right to personal autonomy, identity and integrity. The book examines these concepts by interconnecting case law from the Court with the philosophical debates, including those in feminism, in four parts: (1) personal freedom and human rights law (2) privacy and personal autonomy (3) personal identity (4) bodily and moral integrity. The author notes, through her analysis of the Court’s case law, that different versions of freedom are evident in the jurisprudence, including one which may restrict human freedom rather than enhance it through human rights law. This book will be invaluable to scholars of the Court, human rights and issues of the self.