Is there a case to be made for the legalisation of prostitution in a modern free society? 

Would it shock you that official best guesses are that there are over 80,000 prostitutes working in the UK today!  Wikipedia details that, in 2003, it was estimated that, in London one woman in 300 was working as a prostitute (compared to one in 35 in Amsterdam).

Prostitution is known as the oldest profession but one that still can generate the feeling of utter revulsion.  For many older readers of this blog, the word itself ‘prostitution’ conjures up seedy images of dirty old men in tweed coats, sneaking off into side alleys with ‘skanky’ looking women and performing unimaginable acts of depravity.  For others, the freedom of the individual is to the fore, whereby, two consenting adults should be left to do what they want. 

Where do you stand?

A controversial subject….for many taboo.  One in which very few blogs will pass comment.  So why this one?  What got me thinking about this subject?  Two things.  Firstly, the media publicity surrounding ‘Belle de Jour’ breaking her anonymity and ‘going public’ this past week and secondly a recent comment left by a reader, ‘Jenny’, on this blog site about how she was struggling to make ends meet in this recession and how she turned to prostitution to support her family.

‘Belle de Jour’

For those of you unaware of this story, ‘Belle’, was for many years a high-class London call girl / prostitute — who wrote an anonymous blog about her experiences, detailing her many sexual and emotional encounters, (some would say taking the Adrian Mole diary concept to the next step for liberated women!).   This blog was then turned into two best-selling books, ‘The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl’ and ‘The Further Adventures of a London Call Girl’. Belle’s books were re-energised two years ago, when they were turned into a highly rated TV series starring Billie Piper.  For those interested to look at Belle’s blog site, you can find it HERE and her Twitter feed HERE  

For those thinking this was some dirty, seedy diary, Belle’s behind the scenes insight into her life and views on men is not a blow-by-blow sex guide, but more akin to a camp & fun Sex & the City style adventure!  It must noted that reviewers of these books critically state that the style of writing is what engages readers and that Belle comes across in a ‘sassy, finger-snapping, girl’s best-friend style’.

What is fascinating in this story is who the real Belle turned out to be!  Now for some, the expectation was for a horrible, ‘ugly’, desperate woman that could be pilloried and held up as an example to batter the oldest profession.  Brooke Magnanti crashed through the barriers of anonymity and revealed herself to be the real ‘Belle’.  But Brooke is in fact, DOCTOR Brooke Magnanti, a research scientist at Bristol University.  Now why did Brooke, an intelligent woman with bright prospects turn to prostitution?  Her reply…..she became a £300 an hour high class escort to help fund her studies for a doctorate!  See her here on Sky News….

Now that is an eye opener.  A clever woman with a bright future freely took the decision to fund her way through college via selling her body for ‘protected sex’.  And today, no one harmed, she is proud to be a successful Doctor, (and writer!). 

Does Belle glamorise prostitution as some are saying today?  Opponents of prostitution, quite rightly, point out that Brooke or ‘Belle’ was a fortunate high class hooker and that ‘in real life’ there are many prostitutes who work in horrific conditions, ‘owned’ by a pimp and who earn little money and live a desolate life.  Which is true.  But supporters of legalising prostitution counter that the very seeds of arguing against the legalisation of prostitution are contained in the opponents arguments for banning it.  Yes it is a dangerous profession, yes Pimps need to be banned, yes disease is prevalent.   But are these in fact arguments that support and regulation solve and that making it illegal, drives it underground and hence into dangerous hands.

But Belle is not the only case.  Let’s take Jenny, who left comment on a blog about the depth of the recession.

 ‘Jenny’

Turning to Jenny and the blog comment she left.  Jenny challenged blog readers to come up for a better solution for her problems.  Seems like Jenny had a boyfriend who left her and their kids and she was left with a mortgage to pay and aforesaid kids to provide for.  She claims that there are too few jobs and that state benefits are pathetic. 

Let’s try and flesh this situation out some more and perhaps stretch this story to its limits as I don’t have all the details but it serves as a useful illustration.  Let’s take for granted that Jenny has a high mortgage, (perhaps negative equity), stays at home to bring up the children, whilst her partner works and brings home the money to support their lifestyle.  But that partner then ups and leaves.  Gone overnight.  The CSA start their work in tracking the father but that can be a slow process.  So this woman, faced with a mortgage, a lifestyle to support and more importantly children, for whatever reason turned to prostitution.  Rightly or wrongly, according to your position.  She claims that she could ‘work’ as a prostitute and sell her body for ‘mindless sex’ for £500.  (Higher than Belle!)

Now most people’s reaction will be first condemnation.  But then, when you think of it, when faced in a desperate position, did Jenny do so wrong in protecting, as she would see it, her family & lifestyle and indeed, maybe enhance it, (if you see money as an enhancer!).  Yes, there are moral decisions being made but perhaps those that an individual should take not society?

So are we at the point we should liberate our minds and re-consider prostitution?  Why would prostitution be legalised?

The case for legalisation?

So why legalise prostitution?  There are several key arguments propounded.

— Freedom of liberty.   Supporters say that it should not be in the remit of the state if two consenting individuals want to exchange money for sex.  As long as both sides are consenting, nothing is done against anyone’s free will.  Why should the State intervene?  The woman or the man providing sex is proving a ‘service’ that should be seen in the same way as a foot massage or facial.  The State they argue never knows best.

— Safety for both the prostitutes and customers could be assured.   Prostitutes can end up missing, murdered, or severely beaten. If prostitution is legalized and regulated, the number of tragedies involving prostitutes can be lessened. Those in favour of legalizing prostitution feel that “violence, exploitation, and health effects suffered by women in prostitution” are not deep-seated in the trade but are the outcome of the behaviour of “bad pimps or buyers”; many feel that if “prostitution were regulated by the state these harms would diminish”

— Less disease.  Prostitutes would be checked for disease.   With proper and mandatory health care provided to prostitutes, the risk of disease can be lessened significantly. Prostitutes could be required to have mandatory disease testing done every six months.  In the age of AIDS and other sexual diseases, greater control and monitoring is propounded as a step forward. This way, if the prostitutes are clean then they cannot transmit diseases to their customers.

— Pimps would be eliminated.   The power of pimps could be lessened, and perhaps even banned, to ensure the safety and well-being of prostitutes. Pimps often beat, or even kill, their prostitutes, and Prostitutes could be required to be licensed and made to carry some sort of government issued identification card. The state of Nevada gave the right to each county to determine whether or not to legalize prostitution. Churchill county voted two to one in favour of licensed brothels, which were not to be placed on main streets or close to churches or schools. Prostitutes working in these brothels are required to carry identification cards and are usually fingerprinted (“Prostitution”). This is for the safety of the prostitute.

— Better stability of relationships.  Given divorce break up’s, affairs and cheating is endemic in society, would ‘mindless, uncommitted’ sex act as an outlet and ensure more couples stay together for their families?

— A multimillion dollar business would be taxed.  Just consider the amount of tax revenue missed out…… do the maths

                        Miss X charges £250 per hour

                        She sees 1 client in the afternoon and 2 in the evening

                        That’s £750 per day ‘earnt’

                        Miss X works Monday – Fri ie 5 days and pulls in £4,500 per week

                        She works, let’s say 48 weeks of the year, (takes 4 off like the rest of us).

                        That’s an annual salary of £180,000  untaxed……

                        So from a taxation point of view….who is being screwed?

— Prostitution would be removed from residential neighbourhoods.   The famous, ‘Not in my back yard’ argument.  Set, controlled, regulated, safe environments.

My conclusion

Do I have answer to whether prostitution should be legal in a free society?  I find this a tough subject.  My conscience wrestles between a strict moral code where it is abhorrent to the values I hold.  I can see the depths that some dive to and feel so low and desperate that they will do anything to support their families/earn a living.  I revile in reading about the dreadful conditions that these prostitutes have to reportedly work in, many bullied, (physically & emotionally), by pimps to make money for others that they never see.  So where do I stand?  Would I ever entertain the idea of using a prostitute?  No.  Never under any circumstances.  I have my own strict moral guide.  BUT….and this is a big BUT.  I love and revel in freedom.  I want more personal freedom….tough in a society throttling the very liberties we once enjoyed).  Everyone has a right to be different in society.  The State holds no legitimacy or right  to regulate others in personal matters.  My passion for the freedom of the individual knows no bounds.  I cherish individual freedom above issues of morality like this.  Why should I say that people should not be free to do what they want?  Consenting, (and that is a critical word), adults, engaging in a ’service’, harms no one else’s life, indeed the arguments above for legalising prostitution in fact help society….less violence, less crime, less sexual disease, more money for the state.  Therefore, my desire for liberty supports the legalisation of the oldest profession.

Don’t expect to see the legalisation of prostitution in the next Conservative Manifesto.  It is not a vote winner.  But true followers of a free society know that the fight for more freedom for the individual never ends as we ‘continue down the road to serfdom’.   What do you think?  Would you visit a prostitute if it were legal?…but more importantly would you frown on your friends if they did?………………………

Those that condemn….did you enjoy watching Pretty Woman at the cinema/DVD?  Watch Billie Piper on ITV as Belle?……………………..