Prostitution matters

I'm sure you've all heard the news, that there are renewed attempts to legalise prostitution in SA.

Sigh.

On the one hand, I understand why the powers that be want to do this:

• Too little manpower on the ground, which could be redeployed more usefully to tackle "REAL" crime
• It's impossible to get rid of this particular activity - the more force you use, the more you drive it "underground".
• Having this horrible practice operating "underground" means that the women involved are more likely to be taken advantage of - abused by their pimps and clients alike.
• Legalising it means these women can have access to better health care, which is vital in their line of work.

But I have serious misgivings about doing so:

• Legalising prostitution gives it a measure of respectability - and I don't think it's a respectable profession at all. I think it's completely degrading to men and women alike, whether the client or the prostitute.
• If it's "respectable" then one might assume that one cannot pick up STD's (or STIs) from a prostitute. (How wrong could you get? Even the nicest looking, smartest, highest end prostitute can pass on various STDs to you.)
• Prostitution goes against God's law - sex is supposed to take place in the context of marriage, a monogamous relationship that lasts a life-time*.

If it were put to a referendum, I honestly don't know at this point which way I would vote. Do I vote according to God's law, or do I show compassion for the women and men caught in this vile practice and help to protect their lives. What would Jesus do? I'm not convinced that he would vote to keep it illegal.

As an aside, Blogger Ed Rybicki pointed me to a recent news item - about the peril of HIV infected hookers to England soccer fans.... While it's highly unlikely they will pass the HIV on if their clients are wearing condoms, it's still not entirely safe. I have heard of HIV positive people being selfish and vindictively having sex with others upon whom they want to take revenge for something, but this kind of selfish behaviour is something I never thought I would see. I get that these women are extremely poor. I get that the Ukraine has a very high unemployment rate. I get that this is an easy route out for some women. I don't get how they could put someone else's life at risk in this manner. It makes me sad to think that a) either they are really that heartless, or b) they really are that desperate. Either way, this world is in a very sorry state!

* I'm not even going to add the phrase "between one man and one woman" as that would only open an ENTIRELY different argument, which I don't want to get into here.