The
Ethics behind Sexual Commerce
By:
Dominique Spence
During
the Victorian Era, prostitution became more conventional and was brought into
the forefront. Sex was not only for procreation, but for enjoyment as well. Women
were now more in control of their sexual behavior and didn’t need a man to
dictate their choices for them. No two prostitutes had the same experiences.
Asian prostitutes were brought over to America with false hopes that they would
have a better life, but most were put into the sex trade. Women were drugged,
beaten and tortures to make sure they complied for their customers. There were
also different classes such as the parlor prostitutes, bawdy house prostitutes,
crib houses prostitutes and the streetwalkers[1].
Just
like the Victorian era, it is hard to really pinpoint why women end up becoming
prostitutes today because there are many factors to take into consideration.
Although, negative reasons to participate in prostitution include greed and
addiction. These women are attracted to large sums of money and some need the
money to pay for their drug addictions. Some women, on the other hand, have a
“somewhat better” reason for prostitution including paying for university costs
or getting out of poverty and their unhealthy living environments[2].
Today,
if you are a prostitute you are considered to be trash or the bottom of the
barrel. Surprisingly, there has been great debate on whether or not
prostitution should be legalized. Proponents of prostitution believe that
prostitution is a victimless crime between two consenting adults and provide
individuals with freedom of choice. They see prostitution as a way of reducing
crime rates and allowing individuals to openly express their sexual freedoms.
Alternatively, opponents consider prostitution as a morally wrong act and
degrading against women. Prostitution ultimately makes women look like a piece
of meat and sometimes abused. In my opinion, prostitution is a very dangerous
occupation and could ultimately come with dire consequences and does exploit
the female body, but I can also sympathize with someone if it is their last
option.
The
dangers associated with prostitution would scare people away from
participating, but sometimes there no other choice. Some of the diseases related
with prostitution include sexual transmitted diseases such as HIV, Chlamydia
and Syphilis. Prostitution can cause more than just physical pain, but emotional
issues as well. Prostitutes can develop low self esteem, depression and
suicidal thoughts and even PTSD[3]. People have many different viewpoints on
prostitution and I think this will continue to be a hot topic in the future.
[1]
Moore, Crystal. “The Ethics behind Sexual
Commerce.” Class Lecture, The History of Sexuality in America from The
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, February 27, 2014.
[2]
Schwartz, Allan. "Mentalhealth.net." Last modified April 12, 2011.
Accessed February 28, 2014.
http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=42821.
[3]
Moore, Crystal. “The Ethics behind Sexual Commerce.” Class Lecture, The History
of Sexuality in America from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte,
Charlotte, NC, February 27, 2014.
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