It is Wrong to Pay for Sex
Allison Reiser
Issue date: 5/5/09 Section: Opinions
I attended a debate on April 21st at Rockefeller University and my thoughts before the debate were not akin to a "Typical Stern Girl." I thought that a woman has a right to choose if she wants to be a prostitute or a call girl. "If she is happy and enjoys what she is doing professionally and it doesn't bother me, then why not?" was my train of thought. However, as I was listening to the debate, I realized just how mistaken I was on the subject of buying sex. It is a complex situation and requires more insight and depth than I was initially willing to give it.
According to Intelligence Squared Chairman Robert Rosenkranz, there were 3 meanings of the debate's title: 1) It is wrong to pay for sex if you are the governor of NY; 2) it is wrong in terms of private individual conduct; or 3) it should be legal or illegal. Iq2US, the U.S. forum for live debate, deliberately used the language "to pay" in the proposition, to make the question a more broad one. It was a debate, a contest really, of ideas and logic and persuasion. The audience got to vote twice, whether we sided with or against the proposition and the team that changed the most minds won.
The focus for me was on Wendy Shalit, who wrote 'A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue' ten years ago, and more recently 'The Good Girl Revolution: Young Rebels with Self- Esteem and High Standards.' Wendy has worked closely with young women who are trying to escape prostitution and what I find personally most appealing is that she is a Baalat Teshuva. I was curious to hear how she would put a spin on the subject, as she always manages to do in her books and on her blog. I remember seeing her on the "Mike & Juliet" Morning Show last year on a day off from school. She approached the topic of modesty and sexuality in a very Jewish way, but without any Biblical or religious references. Instead she chooses to focus on her belief that America needs to revive the idea of higher standards for both sexes, instead of girls trying to be equal to boys by imitating the worst adolescent boy behavior.
According to Intelligence Squared Chairman Robert Rosenkranz, there were 3 meanings of the debate's title: 1) It is wrong to pay for sex if you are the governor of NY; 2) it is wrong in terms of private individual conduct; or 3) it should be legal or illegal. Iq2US, the U.S. forum for live debate, deliberately used the language "to pay" in the proposition, to make the question a more broad one. It was a debate, a contest really, of ideas and logic and persuasion. The audience got to vote twice, whether we sided with or against the proposition and the team that changed the most minds won.
The focus for me was on Wendy Shalit, who wrote 'A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue' ten years ago, and more recently 'The Good Girl Revolution: Young Rebels with Self- Esteem and High Standards.' Wendy has worked closely with young women who are trying to escape prostitution and what I find personally most appealing is that she is a Baalat Teshuva. I was curious to hear how she would put a spin on the subject, as she always manages to do in her books and on her blog. I remember seeing her on the "Mike & Juliet" Morning Show last year on a day off from school. She approached the topic of modesty and sexuality in a very Jewish way, but without any Biblical or religious references. Instead she chooses to focus on her belief that America needs to revive the idea of higher standards for both sexes, instead of girls trying to be equal to boys by imitating the worst adolescent boy behavior.
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