Should it be illegal to pay for sex?
The MP and former government minister made the case for criminalising those who pay for sex on Sunday's programme, in debate with the philosopher . Denis argued that a change in the law was necessary to tackle the growing problem of . He says:
Until you have the Wilberforce moment when you say those who buy [sex] are just as guilty as those who are selling [women], it will continue to grow. It's not until there is a regular flow of men before the courts because they have paid for sex with illegally trafficked sex slaves that we will see a change in culture.
Peter believes this argument is comparable to criminalising driving on the basis that some drivers steal cars. Instead, he argues that commercialised sex between consenting adults should be legal and regulated: sex-workers should be registered, taxed and subject to health and safety legislation. This would be a better strategy, he argues, for tacklingsex-traficking, which would not reduce other freedoms within society. Denis replies that challing the demand for sex-work is the best way to reduce its supply, and a change in the law would be a major step in the right direction in the battle against the abuse of women and girls in the sex-trade.
Comments
The question: Should it be illegal to pay for sex?
The answer: Of course not.
Should it be legal to pay for sex? I asked this question of people from Nevada where prostitution is legal and regulated when I lived in California. They told me they feel that their daughters are safe from being molested walking outside on the streets at night. That's good enough for me especially when you consider that nobody will ever stop the world's oldest profession.
I think it's patently arrogant to claim that it's desireable to try to forceably stop prostitution. These are individual matters being handled by adults who own the rights to their money and their bodies; the government is not the arbiter of what is right for them to do. Should it be illegal to pay for sex? Of course not. The very idea is absurd.
All sex outside marriage has a price.
Philip Campbell #4
"All sex outside marriage has a price."
Maybe so but if you know anything about the nature of divorce and divorce settlements in the United States, the cost of raising children, and the cost of keeping women in the things they demand form clothing to consmetics and jewelery, you will realize that it is still far cheaper than sex inside marriage, at least where I live. The cost of raising even one child to adulthood is well over $250,000.
By the way, this does not include the cost of college tuition and other expenses which can nearly double that.
Earlier this year, I was a guest at a wedding which cost well in excess of $100,000. You can buy a lot of sex outside of marriage for that kind of money.
Mark- Yesterday I was at such a wedding myself- extravagant and incredibly overrated. My own wedding cost much less than that, I'm happy to say.