Is It OK to Pay for Sex?
Topics: Culture, Education, Politics
Program Release Date: June 07, 2024
Prostitution remains heavily stigmatized and legally complex globally, ranging from full decriminalization to controlled regulation like the Nordic Model, where only purchasers of sex, not sellers of sex are penalized. This model has been implemented in eight countries, including Sweden, Iceland, Canada, and France, as well as in the U.S. state of Maine.
Those who argue that it is ok to pay for sex say that it’s a profession that deserves as much respect as any other and that those who do it for a living have a right to do with their bodies as they please. They also argue that decriminalizing the profession is the only method to reduce violence against sex workers. Those who say that it is not ok to pay for sex and support the Nordic model are concerned about inequities present between sex buyers and sex workers that are rooted in oppression and power imbalances, as some sex workers choose the profession under economic or social duress. They are also concerned about exploitation and coercion, which can sometimes open the door to human trafficking.
With this background, we debate the following question: Is It OK to Pay for Sex?
ARGUING YES:
Kaytlin Bailey: Sex Workers Rights Advocate; Founder & Executive Director of Old Pros and Host of “The Oldest Profession Podcast”
ARGUING NO:
Yasmin Vafa: Human Rights Attorney; Co-Founder and Executive Director at Rights4Girls
MODERATOR-IN-CHIEF:
John Donvan: Emmy award-winning journalist
"Is it OK to pay for sex?" is a different question than "Should paying for sex be legalized and/or decriminalized?"
I say no to the first and yes to the second - with the same caveats that Whitney Y put in her post.
Exploitation of children should always be criminalized. Adult males and females should know better than to be sexually abusing little girls or boys as it is the law. There is a reason there are age of consent laws, and even that doesn’t protect vulnerable boys or girls that have disabilities of being exploited against their will.
I believe in the rights of a child goes above and beyond any parental rights of child exploitation and child abuse. We wouldn’t consider it ethical or even moral of a parent to give consent for someone to kill their child, why would we approve of child abuse and/or child exploitation against the child’s will?
If the consenting adult is fully informed with an agreement made between both the sex worker and the participant(s) that does not involve coercion, manipulation, violence, or threats of violence, and the person is fully capable of giving consent, has full mental capacity, and is not incoherent or unconscious, and has the right to refuse unsafe practices at any given time, than I would say it wouldn’t be criminal intent.
I think the biggest indicators of sexual abuse and violence are age, mental capacity, and if consent was fully present and directly given in a verbal or written contract made between the consenting adult and the other party.