THE "UNUSED" AMENDMENT

The 9th Amendment

The 9th Amendment to the U.S. Bill of Rights is sometimes called the Forgotten Amendment since it has never been used. It states: “The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people”. It did not occur to the Framers of the Constitution to enumerate a right to privacy, since it was taken for granted as retained by the people. It did not occur to the Framers of the Constitution to list the right to take whatever medical treatment one chooses, either from a recognized doctor (there were no licensed doctors in 1787), or even from a farmer. It did not occur to them that they needed to list such rights, since the Framers considered them to be retained by the people. That was the sense behind the 9th Amendment.
 

Source: Daniel Haley
“Politics in Healing”
Page 228