Is Sexual Commerce Ethical?/Should Pornography Be Banned?

by Rhyann Bowman

One example of sexual commerce, prostitution, can be traced back throughout all of history. We can say with some confidence that wherever there have been money, goods, or services to be bartered, somebody has bartered them for sex. [1] Another example of sexual commerce is pornography. It’s more recent than prostitution. In these examples, most of the time, the participants voluntarily take part in the activities that take place. They get paid to engage in sexual activity and the customers are satisfied. But does that make it ethical?

I don’t think that sexual commerce is ethical at all. Prostitution is illegal, but why not pornography? It’s in a safer environment but it’s practically the same process and the same risks are involved. Pornography being accepted in society but not prostitution baffles me. I think both should be illegal. Pornography is accepted in society and it is made to seem glamorous but many porn stars are scarred from their experiences in the porn industry. Many women have horror stories about their time in the industry.

In the video above, ex-porn star Vanessa Belmont talks about the horrors she faced in the porn industry. She explains that the porn industry isn't what it's hyped up to be and it's actually terrifying. The viewers of pornography are encouraged to believe that the participants are enjoying themselves, when in actuality, it's the total opposite.





This video is a little more emotional. This woman's case is more traumatic than the woman's above. She has lost everything because of the porn industry. She got cervical cancer, lost a child, and got abused all because of porn. As she said, she felt what her mother went through and remembered what she and her sister had to go through because of their father's porn addiction. For workers in the porn industry, porn isn't just a paycheck. It affects your entire life and these two women are proof of that.

I think that this proves that sexual commerce is unethical. In my opinion, it's the same as prostitution but it's just in a different form. In both professions, the workers are abused, catch diseases, and are traumatized by their job. Also in both professions, the customers are paying for their entertainment. I don't see the difference between prostitution and pornography except the environment change. Other than that, it's the same. I think that both prostitution and porn should be banned.

[1] Head, Tom. "about.com." Accessed January 31, 2014. http://civilliberty.about.com/od/gendersexuality/tp/History-of-Prostitution.htm.