Who should have the right to decide?
I want to explore this question even though I am not an expert on the specific profession. I am not a prostitute, nor have I been a client of one. It is an interesting topic, or a lead, into another issue this article explores.
Prostitution has been illegal or considered immoral at times and not at other times. It has been legal in some countries and not so in others. It is, however, everywhere at all times for as old as civilization has existed.
Health, moral, and human rights issues are the usual reasons prohibiting prostitution. But should those issues forbid adults from choosing their professions and means of making a living and maintaining their quality of life?
If a healthy, independent man or woman decides to work as a prostitute without coercion, why should society condemn and forbid such a profession?
If an adult man or woman chooses to visit and employ a prostitute for services, why should society limit the rights of consumers to spend their money as they desire?
In advanced countries like the USA, the UK, and many European countries, regulations can be implemented to ensure prostitutes are healthy and without concern of spreading STDs or other sex-related diseases. Strict adherence to labor laws that are already in place can prevent sex trafficking and underage prostitution.
Is prostitution immoral? A quick Google search will land you on many pages of reasons and opinions on why prostitution is immoral.
Like all other moral issues, they are opinions, not universal truths. For example, alcohol drinking is immoral and illegal in many Muslim countries. However, alcohol consumption by adults is legal and moral in all western countries. No adult woman will be condemned or arrested in western societies because of her alcohol consumption. Kissing or any intimate or romantic gestures in public is considered immoral in most Muslim countries and not so in all western societies. What is immoral to some may be just a normal part of life.
What happens when a married man engages in sexual activities with a prostitute? Is that not immoral because he has broken his vow of fidelity? To some, breaking the vow of fidelity is immoral. To others, especially those who believe in an open marriage, there is no such thing as a vow of fidelity.
Furthermore, is immorality a base for determining something or someone is illegal? If so, who decides what is or who is immoral? The Church? Which church that you know of is void of immoral issues? The Catholic Church? The Evangelical? The Protestants? Who elected these churches to be our moral police and to make laws according to their morality?
From an objective point of view, no moral, health, or safety issue should make prostitution illegal. And yet here we are, in the 21st century, our society still dictates, without objectivity or respect for individual liberty, that prostitution is a crime.
The last thought I want to plant in your head so you can munch on this topic a bit longer is that many women supported abortion but went against prostitution. Why? If these women believe that their bodies, therefore, their choice, then why is it not the prostitute’s choice to use her body to earn her way of living?
There is only one reason. Since childhood, we have been brainwashed that superior beings can impose their values and beliefs on others. Our parents have done that to us based on their values and beliefs. Our teachers, employers, and governments have done the same. And so, we are used to living in a world where we constantly push our values and beliefs on others, no matter how the others may benefit from them, much less if they welcome the ideas.
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This is a broad topic and always controversial. Many bodies such as the government, religions, cultures, all have some kind of opinion. One perspective I want to add though, is whether it objectifies women, or men even. For instance, if a customer justifies his/her requests on the basis that it is a paid service, does that mean the provider cannot refuse to entertain those requests regardless of how unreasonable that may be?