Sex Surrogate

[scott3x]

What do you think prostitutes are anyway, machines? They're human beings and they can and do at times form personal bonds with their clients. I don't see why what they do couldn't be considered as 'psychological treatment that happens to include sex'.

They may form bonds.
But a prostitute is by definition someone who sells sex for money.

A sex surrogate seems to do much the same thing.

Not treatment, merely sexual services.

There's no stipulation that a prostitute can't do both.

If they want to go down the route of being considered as offering psychological treatment then they should be regulated and have the relevant qualifications. (Some may well have, but only incidentally).

I'm not against this. However, I'm also not against legal brothels, such as the ones on the outskirts of Las Vegas. The one issue that hasn't been mentioned much but could be is, what if a person is wants to cheat on their partner with a prostitute? This is a dilemna which faces a lot of people, not just prostitutes. I've personally solved it by saying that I can help someone get out of an unhappy relationship but I've never aided someone in cheating.

 

[Randwolf]

I don't know about you, but I view sex as a very intimate activity and while some prostitutes may have become rather numb, I think that there is generally some emotional involvement on the part of the prostitute, as well as of the client. The role of a therapist and the role of a prostitute in this regard can be very similar indeed; people pay them in order to help them with a problem they have.

If this is any truth to this theory, I would think you would have to differentiate between your "street" prostitute giving BJ's in an alley and a high level "escort" that has dinner with you and maybe hangs out for a while after the "act".

I doubt the former has any emotional attachment, while the latter may indeed form a relationship. In that case, you could maybe make an argument that she (or he) is providing a kind of "emotional" therapy in the sense of bolstering self esteem, etc. Again, as Oli pointed out, it involves intent. What is the primary objective? Companionship, or straight up sex only?

This is kind of a grey area, but in any event, while prostitution has the potential to create all sorts of ancillary harm, if the participants are consenting adults I don't believe the government has any business prohibiting the practice.

Does anyone know how areas / countries with legalized prostitution fair in comparison with those places where it is illegal? I am talking about the spread of STD's, violence perpetrated against prostitutes (or their clients), rate of associated crimes such as robbery, etc.?

 

[scott3x]

I don't know about you, but I view sex as a very intimate activity and while some prostitutes may have become rather numb, I think that there is generally some emotional involvement on the part of the prostitute, as well as of the client. The role of a therapist and the role of a prostitute in this regard can be very similar indeed; people pay them in order to help them with a problem they have.

If this is any truth to this theory, I would think you would have to differentiate between your "street" prostitute giving BJ's in an alley and a high level "escort" that has dinner with you and maybe hangs out for a while after the "act".

To be sure. However, I would contend that even a street prostitute may make a man happier and perhaps even live a better life. And isn't that the goal of therapy?

I doubt the former has any emotional attachment, while the latter may indeed form a relationship.

We are now entering the realm of doubts; I like that.

In that case, you could maybe make an argument that she (or he) is providing a kind of "emotional" therapy in the sense of bolstering self esteem, etc. Again, as Oli pointed out, it involves intent. What is the primary objective? Companionship, or straight up sex only?

I agree to some extent; sex by itself is simply a mechanical activity. But people are far more complicated than a car and this includes prostitutes of any level as well as their clients.

This is kind of a grey area, but in any event, while prostitution has the potential to create all sorts of ancillary harm, if the participants are consenting adults I don't believe the government has any business prohibiting the practice.

I agree; I think that it should simply be regulated, just as I believe that many illegal drugs should be regulated less stringently.

Does anyone know how areas / countries with legalized prostitution fair in comparison with those places where it is illegal? I am talking about the spread of STD's, violence perpetrated against prostitutes (or their clients), rate of associated crimes such as robbery, etc.?

From liberator.net's article on prostitution:

Health-Safety Issues
The status quo is a poor health-safety plan. With sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and herpes, prostitutes must be monitored to prevent the spread of these afflictions. Chancroid, a STD typically found in third world nations, is occurring in places throughout the U.S. due to transmission brought on through illegal prostitution (Schmid, Sanders, Blount & Alexander, 1987). Chancroid makes ulcers in the vagina that assist with the spread of HIV/AIDS.

A Public Health Review of Chancroid from the World Health Organization stated:

In Kenya, where the importance of chancroid in HIV transmission was first described in the late 1980s, interventions targeting sex workers and STD patients were implemented. Reported condom use by sex workers has since increased to over 80% in project areas and the incidence of genital ulcers has declined. Chancroid, once the most common ulcer etiology, now accounts for fewer than 10% of genital ulcers seen in clinics in Nairobi, Kenya.

In Senegal, HIV prevalence among pregnant women has been below 1% for more than a decade. A strong multisectoral response, an effective STD control programme and early legalization of prostitution have been credited for this low level. Special clinical services, for example, offer regular examination and treatment for registered sex workers. Not only has there been a significant decline in STD rates among sex workers and pregnant women between 1991 and 1996, but genital ulcers are also no longer common and chancroid is reportedly rare. (Steen, 2001)

Steen cited a practical example of how government can help its citizens. It makes practical sense to monitor prostitution and what better way is there to monitor it than by legalizing it and regulating it? Legalization would require prostitutes to undergo regular medical examinations. STDs would be prevented from being spread as well as other communicable ailments like hepatitis and tuberculosis. It would also reduce gender violence, allow women to escape prostitution, if they so choose, and prevent women from becoming infertile as a consequence to obtaining certain STDs (Gavin, 2001).​