Prostitution Blog

Prostitution.

Why as a society do we view prostitution as bad? If an exchange of a service for money takes place between two consenting adults and no one gets hurt, why should it be such a taboo? The truth is, the 'bad' aspect of prostitution comes from the things that it entails, not the act itself. Prostitution is linked to drug use, STD's, abuse and murder. We hear about severe cases in the media regarding these and our minds tarnish the 'profession'. In Amsterdam where prostitution has been legalized, things seem much more positive. Areas of the city are designated establishments to promote prostitution safely, so violent crime is much less common and if people don't want to see it, they just don't go there. Protection is compulsory and readily available in the establishments and employees are required to undergo regular STD and drugs testing thus reducing other risks. These factors help to take the taboo out of the subject as the 'bad' elements are removed.

Prostitution combines the two basic human desires, the desire to live and to procreate. Although procreation is not usually a result of prostitution, the desire for sexual pleasure stems from this and the workers desire for money to live on drives them (and I'm sure you've all heard the phrase 'sleeping your way to the top'). It is a subject which has been around as far back as the history books go. In ancient Rome the festival of Floria introduced around 238B.C was associated with prostitution.

'When Flora, through the practise of prostitution, had come into great wealth, she made the people her heir, and bequeathed a certain fund, the income of which was to be used to celebrate her birthday by the exhibition of games they call the Floria' (Insit. Divin. xx, 6)

Although we cover the topic of prostitution in a module entitled 'Being Bad' do you really think it is all that bad? Could our distaste for the subject be based purely upon doctrine, and what we have been lead to believe by our society?

Sites used; http://www.bayswan.org/ http://prostitution.procon.org/viewresource.asp?resourceID=000115 http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_prostitutionnotes.htm