Well, funky derek, the problem I have with your "benefits of prostitution" list is precisely that it relegates sex to a "service" one can pay for. It totally ignores the physical health and pshychological welfare of the two parties involved. Sex is fun, I agree, but it is not a recreational service IMO. It carries serious responsibilities and consequences. For instance, what if the condom accidentally breaks (assuming one is even used) and the prostitute gets pregnant? Is her john going to be there to support her physically and emotionally through an abortion, an adoption, or raising her/his child? What if one or both of them get an STD such as HIV or Hepatitis C through the "transaction"? Society will often be picking up the tab for free treatment at the clinic. By the way, the cost for treatment of these two diseases is astronomical. It has also been proven in empirical medical studies that women who have multiple sexual partners have a higher risk of cervical cancer.
What is the emotional/psychological impact on prostitutes after years of selling themselves? Does the john care? Two people using each other, without caring at all about the other persons health or welfare, is not moral IMO. You said in your post that you would hope the partner of an abused woman would get her the help she so desperately needs. Why doesn't the john use his money to help prostitutes get an education, get counseling, become productive members of society, in short, get the help they so desperately need instead of exploiting their vulnerabilities further. I bet you would have a hard time finding one social worker, doctor, nurse, psychologist, etc. who could see any benefit to prostitutes or society in their "services". The benefit of instant sexual gratification to the john and instant cash for the prostitute is so outweighed by the harms of prostitution as to be negligible in comparison.
To the poster who suggested I should do some research into cities with legalized prostitution, I would ask him what makes him think I have not? Where I live prostitution is not illegal. The streets are full of sex trade workers, many whom are HIV and hepatitis infected drug addicts. I see them every day. When I was in nursing, we did study the affects of harm reduction in the sex and drug trades and street nurses set up programs such as needle exchange clinics and safe injection sites for heroin addicts. I fully support these programs and do not think prostitutes and drug addicts need to be locked up. I also am a supporting member of a local organization that gets young women off the streets, provides them long term shelter, education, employment opportunities, addiction and abuse counseling. This is a process that can take years of commitment. The people involved actually CARE about these young women and want to support them in leading the best, most healthy lives they are able to. Perhaps the John's might care enough about the women whose "services" they use to donate their "prostitute" money to such an organization and thus become part of the solution instead of adding to the problem. Now that would be morality! Somehow, I don't see that happening anytime soon.
Just as I earlier said that consent does not equal morality, I will also strongly suggest that harm reduction does not equal morality either. It is the lesser of two evils. Legality also does not equal morality. Does something become moral just because it is not against the law currently? There needs to be a guideline that is not dependent on prevailing religious attitudes, media influences, or prevailing popular opinions. In this age of medical and other human sciences, we know enough about the human organism to know quite well what is helpful, healthful and harmful to men and women, physically, sexually, emotionally and spiritually. To deny this knowledge and remain deliberately ignorant so they we can continue to indulge ourselves in instant gratification at the expense of our long term welfare as individuals and as a society is highly immoral, in my opinion.
Cog
ps: Great article nvrgnbck! I agree with it wholeheartedly. We do naturally and intuitively know what is best for our own survival and welfare and that of our fellow humans. The problem is that the natural knowledge and instincts have been circumvented by thousands of years of conditioning with religious and other cultural bullshit. We need to strip a lot of that away and get back to basics which is what the foundational principle of "do no harm" attempts to do.