On the weekend Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente wrote a scathing column asking why anyone would push for the legalization of prostitution. http://m.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/legalize-prostitution-are-we-nuts/article12753194/?service=mobile
She criticizes feminists for supporting this initiative in Canada, a curious generalization which doesn't fit with the sensibilities of many feminists I know, including my wife.
I do feel that she is correct in saying that prostitution is a miserable, dangerous, demeaning "profession" which should never be given the sanction of the state. She points out that in Germany, where prostitution is legal, young women from Eastern European nations are coopted into cut-rate prostitution and virtual servitude. Police can do little to support these women when they are mistreated by their customers. Sweden eventually took a different course after first legalizing prostitution.
The notion that legalization makes prostitution safer is not necessarily the case, and what about the effects on the souls of the young men and women who enter into this trade. Did any young person grow up aspiring to be a prostitute?
I do hope that Christian communities and denominations stay aware of this initiative in Canada and resist it with every resource possible. Prostitution is contrary to values of equality and, dare we say it in this society, decency.
What are your thoughts?
I like the Swedes' new approach - there is nothing good about prostitution, legal or otherwise - it is a demeaning, dehumanizing form of slavery.
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