Row over sex toy ban in Alabama

Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence recognised every citizen's right to 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness'. But those words were written well before Alabama joined the union.

True to its image as the capital of the Bible Belt, Alabama recently passed a law banning the sale of vibrators or similar sex toys.

But a group of feisty women is proving that not all of the state's female population are going to lie down and have their bedroom practices dictated by a bunch of grumpy old men.

They have challenged the law, urging a judge to rule it an unconstitutional violation of their privacy.

The lawsuit by the women, who include owners of sex novelty stores, claims that some women cannot get optimum sexual pleasure without artificial aids, and that the Government has no right to take them away.

The law, which was passed as part of a greater bill clamping down on strip clubs, bans the sale of any 'device designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs'. It carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail.