Prostitution

Reconstruction Essay: “Moral Reflections on Prostitution” Prostitution has had a long history in human society, existing ever since the need for sexual gratification. For the most part the majority of society has agreed that prostitution is something that is unwanted and has therefore been listed as illegal by governments. Although does the argument change at all when the act of prostitution is a completely consensual act between the prostitute and her client. Our group has been assigned to argue that even when prostitution is consensual that it is still morally problematic. So to help me demonstrate this point I will refer to Yolanda Este’s article on “Moral Reflections on Prostitution”. She argues that prostitution is morally problematic because it ‘defies the limits of respectful sexual relations’ since it exchanges a monetary substitute for mutual desire and respect. The argument is developed through several factors that the author feels are important in demonstrating that prostitution is morally problematic. For one thing it goes against Kant’s ‘principle of humanity’ by the fact that it fosters a disrespectful attitude, conveyed in the casual use of the human body for one-sided pleasure. Even though there is consent between the two, there is no mutual desire or concern for the other. Each person is in it for a different reason, the prostitute for monetary gains and the John for sexual pleasure. Since the motivations differ, it is difficult for mutual respect as noted above to be present; instead leading the act of sex to violate human dignity. The author then further breaks down the general dynamic of prostitution and explains how it fails to meet the minimum criteria for respectful sexual relations (mutual consent, desire, and respect). So mutual consent is there because they’ve come to an agreement, but the desire and respect aspects are what are missing. For the client has no respect for the prostitute as argued because he wants an expedient orgasm without concerning himself with any of the needs or desires of the other person. After the author finishes with why prostitution is essentially morally problematic he concludes with reiterating how each person’s objectives are not the same and by this contradictory nature, leaving neither person somehow unharmed in the end. In conclusion the author’s argument was very well laid out, was explicit, and followed a very reasonable train of thought.
(Article link)http://commons.pacificu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=eip