Is prostitution "immoral"?

[Guitar's Cry]

This debate is also contextual (like most things). I don't know if anyone has mentioned, but for most of history, a woman has not had access to sufficient contraceptives. A lot of prostitutes had babies and while some had to grow up in poverty and social shame, others were killed after birth.

Nothing moral about that lifestyle. But that was a lot different to some modern situations.

Those are some good points to bring up. Sex has certainly changed with the easy access to contraceptives and better health care. I imagine those points along with sexually transmitted diseases were some of the reasons for prostitution becoming something to look down upon.

 

[Draka]

no. I think they genuinely think/hope that the guy might stick around and something serious might come of it.

Women who have one night stands all want the guy to stick around? Nope. Not true. Men have one night stands to get their jollies with no strings attached. What makes you think women don't do the same thing? Because, let me attest, they do. Just because I might have sex with a guy doesn't mean I want to have a relationship with him. He might be hot, he might be good in bed, but he might not be relationship material. Then there's pity sex. I did that once. Had sex with a guy out of pity. Definitely not interested in having a relationship with him, but I could give him a little thrill and send him on his merry way feeling like a big man.

Women don't always emotionally attach to those they have sex with. It's not something necessary. I've had very loving and deep relationships in which sex was sweet and beautiful. And I've had "relationships" that were built on having fun and having great sex that, while I liked the guys, I certainly didn't love them. And I've had a couple one night stands as well that were just about having sex and getting out, no emotions required at all.

It's not the action of having sex that is emotional, it's the relationship with the person that determines the emotions involved or even if there are emotions involved.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

you are probably aware that Jehovahs witnesses do a world wide door to door preaching work. In that work we meet people from all walks of life. I personally have met many prostitutes. We actually had a ministry where we went to brothels and to street workers and i've spent quite a lot of time with many.

I can state from my experience that most of them were not happy ladys. Many had serious issues and they lived difficult lives. They were earning a lot of money, but for most of them the money was for drugs...and they needed drugs to keep doing the work they were doing. Perhaps you should spend some time with some prostitutes and find out a bit about their life before you draw a conclusion on their line of work being enjoyable. Perhaps you are thinking that sex is enjoyable so she must be enjoying it...well that is quite far from the truth.

Well yeah, maybe if it were legal then she wouldn't have this problem.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Pegg I so totally love you! People should learn what the real women in this field actually experience and go through and what they actually think of the "johns"

Why do you assume all women feel the same?

 

[Pegg]

what does the Bible say about the male customers of prostitutes?

I only seem to remember the prostitutes themselves being condemned - right, wrong?

Proverbs 6:29 Likewise with anyone having relations with the wife of his fellowman, no one touching her will remain unpunishable. ...32 Anyone committing adultery with a woman is in want of heart; he that does it is bringing his own soul to ruin. 33 A plague and dishonor he will find, and his reproach itself will not be wiped out

Proverbs 5:. 20 So why should you, my son, be in an ecstasy with a strange woman or embrace the bosom of a foreign woman? 21 For the ways of man are in front of the eyes of Jehovah, and he is contemplating all his tracks. 22 His own errors will catch the wicked one, and in the ropes of his own sin he will be taken hold of. 23 He will be the one to die because there is no discipline, and [because] in the abundance of his foolishness he goes astray

Proverbs 7;8 passing along on the street near her corner, and in the way to her house he marches, 9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day, at the approach of the night and the gloom. 10 And, look! there was a woman to meet him, with the garment of a prostitute.... 22 All of a sudden he is going after her, like a bull that comes even to the slaughter, ... Do not wander into her roadways. 26 For many are the ones she has caused to fall down slain, and all those being killed by her are numerous. 27 The ways to She′ol her house is; they are descending to the interior rooms of death

Ecclesiates 7;26...[I found] the woman who is herself nets for hunting and whose heart is dragnets [and] whose hands are fetters. One is good before the [true] God if one escapes from her, but one is sinning if one is captured by her

Proverbs 22:14 The mouth of strange women is a deep pit. The one denounced by Jehovah will fall into it


God will hold men responsible for their actions...they will be brought to account.

 

[Pegg]

Well yeah, maybe if it were legal then she wouldn't have this problem.

legalizing it doesnt make it morally right. Nor will it make it acceptable to the conscience or in harmony with the emotional needs of the woman.

 

[Pegg]

It's just what "exotic" means.

lol

i can think of numerous applications of the word 'exotic' that dont include naked women

 

[Pegg]

After the Julian Assange (known for being a guest voice on The Simpsons) debacle, I wouldn't look to Sweden
for moral guidance. I detect a disturbing theme in your posts.....women must be restricted against their own
will for their own good....if there is a crime, then men involved are guilty, & women just lose their innocence.
To all feminists who think liberation comes from the heavy hand of government regulation & prosecution for
victimless "crimes", be careful what you wish for. The list of crimes will grow until you might fear a sneeze.

i hate to say this, but i fear this is a case of reverse psychology on an unprecedented scale.

In the past, women were treated like sex objects for mens pleasure. They were viewed as unintelligent...some cultures still hold that view. A womans body was owned by men purely for entertainment purposes. Women were bought and sold and were restricted from working and from eductation (thats still the case today in some societies)

For you to say that women shouldnt be 'restricted' from being prostitutes, you make it sound like they are being held back as if thats where their potential lies.

This is the mentality of viewing women as sexual objects only good for one thing. So in our modern culture, is that what women are being taught to believe...that they can take their clothes off because it gives them 'power'??? How is that empowering women?

 

[The Sum of Awe]

legalizing it doesnt make it morally right. Nor will it make it acceptable to the conscience or in harmony with the emotional needs of the woman.

Completely changed your argument there, it went from: "This prostitute I met said she was having problems" To: "It's not morally right"

We were talking about why it wasn't morally right, and you jumped back at the first question.

 

[Pegg]

Completely changed your argument there, it went from: "This prostitute I met said she was having problems" To: "It's not morally right"

We were talking about why it wasn't morally right, and you jumped back at the first question.

my first post in this thread answered the OP question with a 'No'. Prostitution is immoral for many reasons.

 

[Banner]

There is a simple way to determine this. Go sell your body for sex. No harm in it right? Then tell me if you think it's moral. A perfectly fine choice of profession for your child.

 

[Antiochian]

I have neither the time nor desire to read through the whole thread. But I agree with Draka. Prostitution isn't "immoral." People pay to see counselors, personal consultants, wedding planners, etc., and I don't see why it's wrong to receive money for providing a client with physical pleasure. It's a simple transaction. Paying for someone's time.

There's the issue of objectifying people. Shoot, that happens in many areas of life. Corporations objectify laborers, politicians objectify constituents, etc.

There's the issue of the very real possibility of putting oneself in danger. Same could be said about joining the military or any other number of things.

As long as consenting adults are involved, I don't see the problem.

 

[McBell]

There is a simple way to determine this. Go sell your body for sex. No harm in it right? Then tell me if you think it's moral. A perfectly fine choice of profession for your child.

nice appeal to emotion fallacy.

 

[Revoltingest]

There is a simple way to determine this. Go sell your body for sex. No harm in it right? Then tell me if you think it's moral. A perfectly fine choice of profession for your child.

Silly analogy. Were I challenged to go eat raw oysters, I'd be thoroughly disgusted, but I wouldn't find it immoral.

 

[Banner]

Is it a fallacy? How do we determine morals then? How it makes us feel right? Look I'm not all about calling prostitution "wrong". Or whatever, hell I can argue that lawyers are immoral half the time. I'm just saying we have to ask ourselves these questions when determining the standards we want to place in our society. I firmly believe morals are relative and depend on conditioning. But selling your body seems to be universally frowned upon because...it's terribly invasive and demeaning to most people.

nice appeal to emotion fallacy.

 

[Banner]

Silly analogy. Were I challenged to go eat raw oysters, I'd be thoroughly disgusted, but I wouldn't find it immoral.

Really...R? Come on now. That was a silly analogy. Eating oysters vs selling your body?

 

[CynthiaCypher]

So far everyone has been talking about the individuals involved as if it just involves the simple transaction of goods and services. But what most of you fail to realize is that prostitution has a social cost harms society.

 

[Revoltingest]

Really...R? Come on now. That was a silly analogy. Eating oysters vs selling your body?

The common trait to your analogy was how the participant felt about trying the activity on for size.
If "feeling" is the metric for determining immorality, then my analogy fits perfectly.

 

[Revoltingest]

So far everyone has been talking about the individuals involved as if it just involves the simple transaction of goods and services. But what most of you fail to realize is that prostitution has a social cost harms society.

Perhaps we don't "realize" that which is not there.
I say that it's society's dysfunctional reaction to working girls which causes harm.

 

[Banner]

So far everyone has been talking about the individuals involved as if it just involves the simple transaction of goods and services. But what most of you fail to realize is that prostitution has a social cost harms society.

If I met a gorgeous, generous, kind man tomorrow and he told me he'd pay me a million dollars to have sex with him...I might could accept that indecent proposal without feeling the least bit immoral. But that's not really what this is about is it? That's not what 99.9% of prostitution is. Happy well adjusted people making business transactions lol...