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Essay on Ethics and Good Prostitution

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Prostitution: In the End, There’s Nothing Wrong with It. Prostitution is defined by Florida State Statute 796.07 in 1994 as “the giving or receiving of the body for sexual activity for hire but excludes sexual activity between spouses” (“Legal Definition of Prostitution”). Though it has been illegalized, an age old discrepancy dealing with the morality and ethical concepts of prostitution is still a controversial topic being discussed today. The main ethical problem being debated about the profession of prostitution is if the selling of sex, something that is meant to be private and personal, should be allowed and morally accepted within society if used for monetary gain in order to pay for the necessities of life. Some question whether …show more content…

All three noted types of utilitarian theories find prostitution to be morally just. With a specification to Mill’s utilitarianism, most realize that there are certain health issues that would need to be addressed and limited by rules, as outlined by Mill’s “rule utilitarianism” (Stewart 23-33). “Prostitution would have to be regulated,” in ways such as “’closely monitoring a prostitute’s health, rigorously training the prostitute, imposing strict standards for conduct while at work, and monitoring client contact to assure quality and efficiency of service,” which would in turn be viewed by people as a base for which rule utilitarianism could be applied as another factor of proving prostitution as acceptable and moral (“Sexual Autonomy & Prostitution”). Jeremy Bentham, the mind behind act utilitarianism states that, “Pleasure is therefore always good, and happiness consists of having pleasurable experiences” (Stewart 15). Prostitution brings pleasure to both the prostitute and their client: monetary and mental pleasure for the prostitute and sexual pleasure for the client. It has even been found that “97% of house-prostitutes like themselves more after than before becoming prostitutes,” proving the happiness gained by prostitutes in their profession

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