Sexual favours for a price. On the side of the road. Down an alley. In your car. In your hotel room. In your house. On the corner. Wherever it is, it’s likely to be unsafe for the sex worker. Why? You might refuse to use condoms and risk exposing him or her to sexually transmitted infections and HIV/Aids. You might have bondage fantasies that leave him or her at your will and unable to escape. You might not be alone and you might rape her or him. Why else is it unsafe?
Well if you the sex work abuser have had no respect for his or her rights, why should the police? A sex worker is likely to get harassed daily for trying to do a job that happens in all countries around the world. They are doing their job without the support of a union. Without a company medical aid. Without financial security. You the client are allowing this to continue. You the client are not protecting the person who helps you to fulfil your sexual needs.
Why else? Well if the sex worker has little protection from you or the police, they are likely to seek protection out there. Pimps exploit the workers for most of their earnings in order to offer them an ill-fitting sense of security. They often require their own sexual favours in return for the protection. It is a cycle where a sex worker cannot do an honest day’s work without being exploited.
What is it that prevents us from going to the streets in support of these women and men who provide a service to many members of our rainbow nation? It can only be a retrogressive sense of moral superiority that leaves us thinking that what they do is “dirty” or “immoral”. Those words have grown old and irrelevant in a country that in theory is so supportive of diversity and respects people of whatever creed, religion and sexuality they may be. Are we clinging to a backward sense of morals? Sex happens. Why shouldn’t it happen with a sex worker?
The provision of increased rights to sex workers will protect them. It will make them more able to offer a rate that will allow them to support themselves financially and live comfortably. It will allow them access to a union, which will protect their rights when they are exploited by clients and pimps. It will make them more able, or at least more likely, to visit the police without fear when they are raped, beaten and abused.
The soccer World Cup approaches and we should be thinking more about sex workers. This will be a busy time for them, but will it be a safe time? If we don’t give them these rights we are condoning the abuse of men and women by omission. It is time for sex work to be legalised.
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53 Responses to “Legalise prostitution now!”
It is not so much the idea that prostitution leaves me feeling dirty, as much as the fact that it is indeed immoral…
Apparently a trend has started in Japan has seen young women provide sexual favours in exchange for something they require in return…a college education, and iPod etc…how does this all fit in?
The biggest problem is HIV/Aids. I mean, SA has one of the highest % of infection and all the foreigners are going to flock here in droves to get a ‘taste’ of Africa next year. Doesn’t that put all the tourists at a greater risk of getting infected and spreading the disease?
I couldnt agree with you more. All your points are perfectly valid. It is going to happen anyway so why not protect them and generate tax revenue? Same with drug use, while we’re at it, how about legalising drugs as well. The war on drugs worldwide is losing and costing billions. Legalise, free up police resources and use the tax revenue to educate and provide the necessary support. At least the government could monitor usage, make sure the product doesnt contain hidden elements like rat poison, and provide counselling where needed, not to mention dealers and the associated crime would disappear, leaving the cops to deal with our real problem - violence.
This is so naive it is scary. When making such bold statements you should at at least inform yourself properly regarding the issues and not just read the latest spin from pro prostitution lobby groups. Legalisation turns pimps into businessmen and the police walk away. Enforceable condom policies are unworkable and more violence to prostitutes comes from pimps and clients than anywhere else. I am not sure who you think is going to be doing the protecting and with what resources - the corrupt and broke Municipalities? If you really want to know what happens when prostitution becomes legal, just read Mary Sullivan’s report on what happened in Australia after decriminalisation. You can find her, as well as loads of other material, on the Coalition against Trafficking in Women International web site. Alternatively speak to Prof Kreston of UOFS who deals with trafficking and prostitution in SA right now or retired Superintendent Owen Musiker of the Sunnyside Social Crime unit in Pretoria. Prostitution is about dysfuntion and exploitation and is inextricably linked to drugs, trafficking and organised crime. The honeymoon with legalisation is over and countries are moving towards the Scandinavian model where the focus is on the pimps, users and traffickers to much greater success. As a women I am surprised that you have so little regard for the rights and dignity of women that you would condone the sale and hire out of their bodies as merchandise.I seriously doubt that you really think that prostitution is work like
Absolutely agree! It is not going to stop and these people desperately need protection. It will also mean more tax revenue and a healthy but still unfaithful client. Perhaps then the clients have less chance of infecting their unsuspecting partners as well!
Willing selling willing buyer - the oldest profession perhaps? Wether we like it or not prostitution is alive and well and inspite of all attempts to outlaw it prostitution will not go away. Therefore is it not time to try an alternate approach? Banana it’s not a compulsory activity. Legalise prostition, control it tax it and remove them from the streets. It will all be worth it if it prevents just one innocent victim from being raped by a sexualy frustrated individual seeking release from their physical desires. No Banana! I’m not one of them just a happily married man with children.
Assuming that the profession got the full protection of the police and the benefits of unionization: in your heart of hearts, would you be happy with your son or daughter becoming a prostitute? Would you be happy dating or marrying one?
[…] Thought Leader » Jennifer Thorpe » Legalise prostitution now! www.thoughtleader.co.za/jenniferthorpe/2010/01/08/legalise-prostitution-now – view page – cached Sexual favours for a price. On the side of the road. Down an alley. In your car. In your hotel room. In your house. On the corner. Wherever it is, it’s likely to be unsafe for the sex worker. Why? You might refuse to use condoms and risk exposing him or her to sexually transmitted infections and HIV/Aids. You might have bondage fantasies that leave him or her at your will and unable to… Read moreSexual favours for a price. On the side of the road. Down an alley. In your car. In your hotel room. In your house. On the corner. Wherever it is, it’s likely to be unsafe for the sex worker. Why? You might refuse to use condoms and risk exposing him or her to sexually transmitted infections and HIV/Aids. You might have bondage fantasies that leave him or her at your will and unable to escape. You might not be alone and you might rape her or him. Why else is it unsafe? View page […]
Absolutely agree! It is not going to stop and these people desperately need protection. It will also mean more tax revenue and a healthy but still unfaithful client. Perhaps then the clients have less chance of infecting their unsuspecting partners as well!
In Australia legalisation wiped out pimps and corrupt police involvement. Sex workers have to operate singly or in a brothel which is restricted in number of workers at a time and ownership of the business is I think restricted. in who too to avoid exploitation. They police the system themselves as illegals cut into their market for which they pay tax, rates and licence fees.
R: Why are enforceable condom policies less workable when it is legalised than they are now? Surely now the woman or man has far less power to negotiate the conditions of the sex they’re having because their clients know that it is illegal, and so they have no bargaining power? They have no right to recourse when they are not listened to. If it were legal they would and I know plenty of female lawyers who would fight for those rights in court.
And R, as a woman I have all respect for women’s bodies and dignity. That’s why I respect the right for them to choose their profession.Even if it is something that you find so deplorable.
I agree with “R” - your piece is extremely naive - making prostitution legal will result in an increase in human trafficking. The argument that “it’s going to happen anyway to legalise it” is extremely foolish - should we legalise rape, b/c it will “always happen”? Rather than charge women for being prostitutes, police should charge the men who solicit their favours, as well as the pimps. Very few women become prostitutes b/c they want to - most are driven to it by poverty and desperation. We need alternative ways of assisting such women - legalising prostitution, although it may seem a good idea in the short term, will keep women down-trodden and degraded in the long term.
Jennifer, you are heartless throwing the prostitutes to the wolves! Do you honestly think legislation is going to change attitudes or human nature?
My perception is that most of these people involved in prostitution come from broken hurting backgrounds. They need real help and not merely the semblance of care. I whole heartedly agree with “R”’s reply on this blog. We cannot imagine what Pandora’s box of social ills, crime and misery we will be opening if we legalise prostitution.
Find ways to give these people true skills, real psychological and spiritual help.
Why stop at prostitution? Why not just legalise graffiti spraying and call it art? Or legalise nude bathing on all beaches because we all know we are naked in the bathtub? Let’s legalise the shoplifting of under R100 worth of fresh fruit and vegetables so people can balance their diets. Or parking in disabled parking bays, because the exercise will do all those lame folk a lot of good. Or swearing at a cop. Why not? He’s only a cop — not the angel Gabriel. Or jumping a free ride on a third-class train? The train’s going to go to the next station anyway, so you may as well be on it. Doesn’t cost the railway company any bucks if you’re on board — big train, tiny free-rider…
“Very few women become prostitutes b/c they want to - most are driven to it by poverty and desperation”
Man, are you naïve. Look closer at the world of prostitution and you find young students doing it for the money, getting some enjoyment out of the social and physical side of it, you find swingers doing it for a sexual kicks, you find drug users feeding their habits, you find women taking advantage of their youth and beauty while they still have it, women, often married and doing it with the approval of their husband, who thoroughly enjoy the lifestyle and will not swop it for a steady job, office workers supplementing their income with the occasional “trick”, even bloggers who post these events pictorially on the net, go and look.
The morality towards casual sex has changed completely. Women today are driven by their desires be it for good things, a comfortable lifestyle, nice clothing, and even sexual kicks.
Sex is nothing to be deplored or be ashamed of anymore. There are some that will do it openly in public, for the kicks, take a closer look at the woman sitting on the man’s lap next to you next time you go to a club or Google “escorts” on the web.
Couldn’t agree more! This article probably gives Errol Naidoo some palpitations (since he is on his one-man crusade against the legalisation of prostitution). He will most likely label the author as a liberal in cahoots with SWEAT. How dare we give rights to the “underclass”? It is not surprising that he is also the leading anti-gay propagandist supported by the American fundamentalist right-wing Family Research Council. His organisation is called the “Family Policy Institute”, uncanny innit?
There’s hardly a married woman in the world who doesn’t exchange sexual favours for money and protection. What’s the difference between some husbands and pimps?
Married women receive just as little help when their husbands beat them up. And if you think all the sex that goes on in marriages is by mutual consent, you are naive in the extreme.
I don’t have company medical aid, a company pension or a union; where does that leave me? I am expected to pay tax and the only gripe I have against SARS is that criminals, drug peddlars and prostitutes don’t pay tax.
In a country that can’t even regulate plastic shopping bags, the promise of regulation is as empty as could be.
Before I moved into this area, the people who lived in the next house were running a brothel. Metered taxis drove up and down all night, I am told, dispensing loud, noisy drunks along the way. Potential sex purchasers who hadn’t even bothered to check house numbers, were knocking up the neighbours all around and behaving appallingly when thwarted or disappointed. The police couldn’t have been less bothered.
Live next door to a brothel for a few weeks and see whether you want to bring up your children there…
We all know the occupation exists, we all sympathise with those who would prefer ‘out’. Help them, by all means, to get out. But don’t legalise prostitution on my street, please.
I agree that prositution should be decriminalized. Proving the offence of “living off the proceeds of prostitution” is hard to do, and the emphasis is still on the prostitute much more than it is on the paying customer, both in terms of how the ‘offence’ is addressed and in how the parties are regarded by society. I also agree that substance abuse be treated as a disease and not an offence, especially given that many prostitutes are in the ‘trade’ to support their drug dependancies. Two birds with one stone, then?
Legalizing prostitution is a very sensitive, controversial issue. It is partly linked to religion and morals, partly to economics (poverty), partly to health and safety, partly to societal acceptance and partly to personal choices.
Some comments refer to subsequent “industries” such as sex trade. The direct relation between the occurrence of sex trade and prostitution seems at least debatable. The old slave trade has always had a leg into sex trade.
Advantages of legalizing prostitution? It offers police protection against abuse (if the police are trustworthy)? It offers a form of health control as legalizing can go with health regulations such as regular inspections on STD’s (if the health system is properly functional).
Morality? As our own President shows, some men have the need for more than one sexual partner in life. Polygamy is an accepted practice in many societies. Many Western men have similar desires. Their society does not allow it but generally seems to tolerate it except the societies highly influenced by the narrow Victorian rules moving sexual freedom to darker corners. UK and US are prime examples still suffering under those influences.
SA is with one leg in the old Victorian mode, the other leg is in the more tolerant mode and maybe influenced by the polygamy image of being allowed more sexual partners in a life time.
There is no one answer. Prostitution has been with us for a long time, sex trade has been with us for a long time. Men having escapades outside their
part 2:
There is no one answer. Prostitution has been with us for a long time, sex trade has been with us for a long time. Men having escapades outside their marriage has been with us for a long time. Legalizing prostitution, or not, will not change that.
If properly designed, the legislation could help the ladies in the profession to feel more protected against blatant abuse, could give them recourse when forced into situations they do not want, could give them protection and control over their own health.
By my own admission, I have used their services at times. The ones I met, generally gave me pleasant services and at times we build a friendship around this business relationship as I have done in many other of my business relationships.
To hang this demand on the FIFA 2010 event is a little opportunistic although appropriate of the SAP is preparing a big money generator from all football fans who want to celebrate a victory with a good old romp. I think the issue is larger than FIFA 2010.
Agree with you Jennifer. These self-righteous moralisers have no business telling anyone what they can do with their own bodies. Prostitution will never be eliminated.
If the proffesion was legalized, it could be controlled - mandatory HIV tests, condoms would be compulsory , forced tax payment, security to protect the women, checking of papers to drastically reduce human trafficking… It just makes sense all round…
These hypocritical anti-prostitution moralists make me sick. It’s not known as ‘the world’s oldest profession’ for nothing. No-one has ever succeeded in eliminating this type of trade and they never will - with good reason.
Sex is very seldom for free in any context. Prostitutes perform a very necessary function in enabling men without partners to have sex.
These wretched, self-righteous sexually-repressed idiots only serve to foster oppression and immorality through their hypocrisy.
One’s moral views have nothing to do with the argument. There are excellent reasons for decriminalising or legalising sex work. They include the ability to take public health measures through licensing, defunding crime syndicates, and being able to act against crimes such as trafficking, assault, rape or extortion by making the victim less afraid to seek protection from the police. It doesn’t prevent anyone from objecting to the morality of prostitution, whether on religious or feminist grounds. It doesn’t prevent further measures to, as the afore-mentioned Mary Sullivan wants, reducing the demand for prostitution in society. It doesn’t prevent one from shunning prostitutes, their clients, or indeed simply keeping one’s nose out of the business of consenting adults.
One may consider prositution evil whether it is legal or not, but if so, legal prostitution is the lesser evil.
Legalizing prostitution is a very sensitive, controversial issue. It is partly linked to religion and morals, partly to economics (poverty), partly to health and safety, partly to societal acceptance and partly to personal choices.
Some comments refer to subsequent “industries” such as sex trade. The direct relation between the occurrence of sex trade and prostitution seems at least debatable. The old slave trade has always had a leg into sex trade.
Advantages of legalizing prostitution? It offers police protection against abuse (if the police are trustworthy)? It offers a form of health control as legalizing can go with health regulations such as regular inspections on STD’s (if the health system is properly functional).
Morality? As our own President shows, some men have the need for more than one sexual partner in life. Polygamy is an accepted practice in many societies. Many Western men have similar desires. Their society does not allow it but generally seems to tolerate it except the societies highly influenced by the narrow Victorian rules moving sexual freedom to darker corners. UK and US are prime examples still suffering under those influences.
SA is with one leg in the old Victorian mode, the other leg is in the more tolerant mode and maybe influenced by the polygamy image of being allowed more sexual partners in a life time.
I agree with Jennifer and R, you are suggesting that prostitution is a legitimate and perfectly valid and desirable “career” for women. It’s a horrible way to make a living and virtually anyone involved in it would prefer to do something else. Very few do because they get lazy, it’s easy money, so much easier than mopping the same hospital floor over and over every day of your life for chump change. Those are the real heroines in my book, I’ll go on the streets for them.
No man is an island. People don’t do with their bodies what they want without affecting others around them. I am astonished how naive some people are. They live in a dream world to think that legalising prostitution won’t have an impact on society.
Sure some people have become more promiscuous towards sex, but I wish it was so uncomplicated. Once again I dare anyone to prove to me that you can regulate attitudes and human nature. We are not plastic bags.
Jennifer, prostitutes for the most part will use condoms if they want to. Becoming known for not using condoms can actually deter clients and is not a good rep to have in the sex trade. For the right price, however, condomless sex will be offered. Both prostitutes and clients lie about it, its just the way people are.The client has the upper hand in negotiating price and acts because he has the money and the market exists to please him. In a legal market he has even more power because a legal market becomes over supplied and is a buyers market.In Germany there are even flat rate brothels - a contentious issue - where a client can pay a low fee and have as many transactions as he likes.
Prostitution hurts women physically , sexually and psychologically. Drugs play such a big role because of the need to dissassociate from the act. A large chunk enter into prostitution as a child and most are victims of childhood physical or sexual abuse. Those who support legalisation seek to deny this reality and it is unfortunate that you seem to be one of them
I agree with Jennifer and with Banana. If we give the profession some legality, maybe the same laws as in Aussie (we seem to have copied their drink/drive laws, tax laws and many others successfully)we will allow them to work without pimps and closely controlled by police and the receiver.
Banana is right when he says youngsters exchange sex for “things”. This is a totally different indictment of our society in that people who are not starving have insatiable cravings for expensive acquisitions and have such low morality that they dont see it wrong to have sex for a new cell phone etc. Kids have shocked me with what they are prepared to offer. But before we cricify them, at least they are not stealing, like the rest of our population.
Ivo, it is disappointing that some of you media guys persist in claiming that there are excellent reasons for decriminalising prostitution without there being any evidence for this at all. If you are aware of the consequences of legalisation in the Netherlands, Australia and others you will know that the objectives have not been achieved. Just recently the University of Queensland produced a report stating that 90% of prostitution in the state was illegal and that the policy has been a failure. Bland assertions about supposed benefits are not unpacked properly. Health checks,for eg, are worthless past the moment they are conducted. Infection can occur 5 minutes after the most thorough battery of tests. If the clients are not screened the women will anyway not be protected from possible infection. Some people just want prostitution legalised for personal reasons, or because it accords with their libertarian impulses, but SA citizens, esp women, deserve better than this. We need a fresh approach to prostitution, and although there are no silver bullets, it does appear that the Swedish policy of focussing on the buyer is not only more women friendly but more effective
I do not see the idea of sex replacing money a good applausible. We should be arguing for better parenting, birth control, and fighting to provide our children with great opportunities so they don’t have to sell their bodies. Prostitution thriving means we are a failed society.
Now you are acting on the assumption that the pimps and druglords who are the chief beneficiaries of this trade with just come into a board meeting and do a structured handover, powerpoint presentations and alles.
I think thats naive, because at the end of the deal drugs, prostitution, human trafficking is interlinked.
Jenifer, I would like to e-mail you some helpful information concerning the whole issue. If you are interested you can contact me personally through M&G. Please.
Pieter Pretorius on January 11th, 2010 at 11:02 am
@R: “it does appear that the Swedish policy of focussing on the buyer is not only more women friendly but more effective”
…Is that not a form of legislation?? Criminalise the buyer of drugs, the buyer of stolen goods, the buyer of “you name it”……..Would it stop the trade?????
i think the threat of legalizing prostitution or the danger is the issue of HIV/AIDS. At the same time, I think it is the best way of combating the spread of the disease.
Sex is a biological human activity and a reproductive necessity. In other words it is a completely natural human activity. That individuals can use sex in a way that degrades themselves and/or others is also a fact. This can happen in absolutely any situation. To try to prevent this by criminalising sex entered into for an exchange of money is like trying to use an axe for retinal surgery, it is a completely inappropriate instrument.
At base all mutually satisfying sexual exchanges take place between equals. It is when the dynamics are unequal for whatever reason that one can say that the sexual exchange has not been conducted optimumally. Correcting this very individual situation cannot be achieved by criminalsing one particular type of exchange.
Thank goodness human sexuality and the range of its expression is far more accepted in the domain of open public discourse than it ever was in the past. Sex is one of humanities most potentially rewarding attributes and the only way to fully realise that potential is to bring it fully into consciousness, both individual and public.
Firstly, using logical deduction, there is no sense in criminalizing an activity, which is available for free, simply because a monetary exchange between parties occurs.
Secondly, stop advocating for the citizens’ hard earned money to be sequestered by the agents of government. The last thing we need is more taxation.
Lastly, this is @Blip
“Why not legalise a raft of relatively-victimless “crimes” at the same time?
Speeding moderately? Parking in the wrong place? Swearing at a speedcop? Hurting someone’s feelings by calling them a rude name?”
Most of these things are not crimes in the first place. And, in any case, I see no problem with any of them being perfectly legal.
Jennifer could have done better had she given us a glimpse of how people become prostitutes. I have seen a number of such happenings and as one American Playhouse production line goes, “there is nothing like a simple prostitute, because behind that person is a story that will touch your heart”. Prostitution is a social ill that is a product of other social ills, material, culture etc. I know that in this country where we just throw our hands in the air when we cannot solve our problems this may appeal but it sucks.
In all African countries inspite of their faults we are the only country that is not willing to fight to the death for its soul, decency, law enforcement and people.
Incidentally one of my favourite novels when I was growing up was “The World Of Suzie Wong” by Richard Mason
Oscar Melomed and R - I agree with both of you. To those who offer the “oldest profession in the book” argument: murder has also been around forever shall we legalise it?
How do we enforce the rights a pro will have? Shall we ask a police who don’t bother with crime much as it is to do spot checks on working bedrooms? Have unions sue clients? All that will happen is that it will become easier for the more horific prostitution practices to be hidden behind a legal front.
Then there is also the little thing called human rights. If it is against the law to request an ordinary worker to reveal their AIDS status and illegal to ask them to test their status how would it be different for prostitutes? One cannot force anyone to wear condoms, even though it is sensible to do so. In every single case where drugs and prostitution has been legalised the countries are now having a second think. Prostitution can never be a job. Most pros I’ve spoken to entered the “profession” because of desperation. Most of them ended up emotionally scared, in therapy, all on drugs. None really had a choice, they were mostly single moms who needed the money. What ought to happen is that pros and drug users be treated as victims and rehabilitated back to a normal life and the clients and pushers be hounded down as the criminals they are.
Whereas I agree completely that we should be fighting for better parenting and birth control we also have to be realistic. Do you know that many school girls have children of their own, some more than one.
Do you know that schoolgirls are paying younger boys for sex because these boys ostensibly do not have aids, so that they can get pregnant and claim the child grant. Some do a double whammy when they get paid for prostitution and also get the child grant when they deliberately get pregnant.
What in your opinion should be done here? Should the child grant be discontinued?
@Ivo Vegter “One’s moral views have nothing to do with the argument.
“There are excellent reasons for decriminalising or legalising sex work.”
I beg to differ, morality is very much apart of this debate…For the sake of keeping my children out of this ‘profession’ I am going to prech moral fibre as the very basis of my argument against it…
And while there are excellent reasons for legalising sex work…Have you seen the way kids are thinking these days…Look up ’sexting’ and look at what social complications created by sites like mixit…
If we lose out moral fibre and say great, let prostitution become a goal for your child or mine as a legal and rewarding way to make money and earn a living…then I fear we are lost souls indeed.
It may sound like a practical idea for the sake of health cheks and cleaning up the industry, but would you seriously condone its legal pracrice if your daughter or wife decided “prostiution is legal, its clean now Ivor, so my new vocation will mean longer hours, dont wait up for me.”
Laws are set to police a society … but I have to ask if we can expect the people who are neglected by that society to stick to them (especially when the laws impose restrictions that limit their livelihood)? Yes we do – but why should they? And why specifically do we have such a problem with prostitution? Do we simply like laws that support our personal beliefs whether they’re pragmatic or not?
Unemployment is a simple fact of life.
So is prostitution (hey if there wasn’t a market then there would be no ‘goods’ to sell).
To brand an activity ‘immoral’ does not make it go away - instead it just sends it underground. What practical purpose does that serve anyone?
Re: taxation of the profession.
A pearl from the British judiciary springs to mind:
A professional lady had an ugly spot on her bum. Goes to her doctor who treats her infected spot but buggers up horribly.
A few months later, no repairs possible.
She takes doctor to court claiming that the result of his treatment negatively affected her income.
Judge listens carefully and ruled: awarding damages to the amount of ten times her last years income as reported to the tax man on her income statement.
Mere decades ago it was “amoral” for Dr. Barnard to perform a heart-transplant. You definitely shouldn’t encourage your kids to become doctors! Sometimes they swap people’s organs to save lives! Heck, sometimes they make a misdiagnosis and kill patients! What a horrible profession! /sarcasm
As I mentioned earlier, people can have consensual sex for free so why should it suddenly be criminal with an exchange of money? People are gonna have sex, one way or another. You should try to stop worrying yourself with other people’s love lives.
And as for your “moral fibre” and the sake of your children, that’s for you to concern yourself with. Please stop trying to run everybody else’s lives. I promise, we are not all out to get you or your children. They’ll be responsible adults one day and can decide for themselves. Until then, the responsibility is yours and yours alone.
That is such a naive retort hard rain, where did you learn to debate? Let me guess were you in the same class as Julius Malema?
To put doctors and prostitutes in the same professional category…LOL excuse me the image in my head makes me laugh!
“You should try to stop worrying yourself with other people’s love lives.”
I don’t think I once mention concern for other love lives except those of my own and family…
“And as for your “moral fibre” and the sake of your children, that’s for you to concern yourself with….”
Thank you for granting me an opinion!
“Have you seen the way kids are thinking these days…”
“…would you seriously condone its legal pracrice if your daughter or wife decided…”
So you weren’t using your personal morality as a reason to impose judgement on the rest of us then? You’re only concerned with your own family? Doesn’t seem like it from your own words…
I don’t think that drawing a comparison between these two professions is naive at all! It makes me wonder what it is that degrades the act of the woman who goes out on the street to feed her child and worships the act of the dr. who works for the same reason…
It’s not the act / it’s not the reason - so?
she charges: like the good dr. charges for healing (in a perfectly moral kind society that would be free too surely.)
a ’special’ act should be shared between lovers - well I’m sure the good dr. had at least 1 one-night stand!
she charges for something that should be ’special’ (like when my ex would only sleep with me when I kept the rules). Plus healing is pretty special.
Where is the sense in this moral judgement???
She breaks up families – nope (she’s not the one in the relationship).
She’s easily available – sure, so? (go speak to business – a very simple marketing strategy: supply / demand).
Ah … it’s degrading to woman. Oh really! Sex is degrading? Giving it away is degrading? Selling it is degrading? And who are you to decide what degrades me - my hungry child? Deserter husband? Lost job? Dreams? Perhaps it’s simply your moral judgement.)
It’s only men who think of this as so very precious (frankly woman stand against prostitution just to keep their men at home) - but then again there is a definite demand. Go figure …
Legalising this, nationalising that. Women’s bodies are marketed and exploited the world over, formally and informally. Have been for centuries, and will of course continue to be so. It is sad how an educated women who knows so many laywers, (intellectual vermilion outhouse), can get caught up mindlessly in the doctrine spewed by the many who profit by the belief that a woman’s body is a commodity. How many young prostitutes do you know?
How many old one’s do you know? The industry is racked with grief stricken, tear hardened women who do what they do for mostly all the wrong heart wrenching reasons. But believe as you will, that you are defending the rights of women. The 48 year old lady who’s still on the beat. The sad, world weary 10 year old who’s selling herself. Advocating the legalisation, enslavement and continual grooming of more young women to the world’s oldest traditional female occupation.
Good Going Girl!
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Jennifer is a young feminist, activist and advocate for women's rights.
She is a big fan of debate and discussion, and always keen for a good constructive argument. Her interests like with all issues relating to the body and to the many ways that government and society regulate our bodies.
She likes talking about uncomfortable issues so that they become a little easier to negotiate in our day to day life.
She's going to be spending 2010 doing independent research, and hopefully writing a book. Hold thumbs!
Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust An incredible organisation working to achieve justice for women, and to provide support to rape survivors and their loved ones.
Whats the agend(er)? A piece clarifying the issues of sex and gender which arose out of the tragic way Caster Semenya has been dealt with by the media.
Whitewashed A piece written as a white person, who is sick of being branded as a racist for feeling afraid in South Africa, and who has hopes that Brandon Huntley's mistakes will allow all South Africans to learn something about tolerance and give up on apathy.
It's quite clear that many people in South Africa actually want to make a difference but are not sure how. Most of us don't have as much time as we'd ...
Enough! Enough of all the pussyfooting, slippery tongue-sliding circumlocution. Enough of the fall backs to culture, ancestry, age, wisdom, the strugg...
There are many reasons why DSTV should not have a porn channel, none of which have to do with morals. The debate about morals lands up with sex being ...
The Rubik's cube is one of those puzzles that many people want to throw against the wall. It seems solution-less, until someone comes along and shows ...
Zuma said today that some people say
" 'Zuma is causing a problem for himself'. I don't think they understand me," he said.
It's true Zuma. Some of ...
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It is not so much the idea that prostitution leaves me feeling dirty, as much as the fact that it is indeed immoral…
Apparently a trend has started in Japan has seen young women provide sexual favours in exchange for something they require in return…a college education, and iPod etc…how does this all fit in?
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