Andrea Dworkin

Andrea Rita Dworkin (September 26, 1946 – April 9, 2005) was an American radical feminist and writer. She was best known for her criticism of pornography, which she argued led to rape and other forms of violence against women.

Legal influence

Dworkin, together with the feminist lawyer Catharine MacKinnon, drafted a proposal for a law that defined pornography as a civil rights violation against women, and allowed women to sue the producers and distributors of pornography in a civil court for damages. In 1983 the law was passed in Indianapolis, but was subsequently overturned as unconstitutional by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals's ruling on American Booksellers Association, Inc. v. Hudnut. This is often cited as an important decision in balancing pornography against censorship.

Related Topics:
Catharine MacKinnon - Law - Civil rights - 1983 - Indianapolis - Unconstitutional - Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

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