A Modest Proposal for Modern Times

We have a major problem in our world that needs to be addressed quickly and comprehensively.  Across our country and around the world, hundreds of thousands of teenage girls are enslaved by black market sexual trafficking.  Often sold into slavery by their families who would otherwise starve, these girls face a life of sexual exploitation and danger.  Those who enslave them often get them hooked on illegal drugs and make them work in despicable conditions.  The 2008 movie, Taken, powerfully explores this despicable underground world.

Something needs to be done to keep these girls safe and to make sure they are kept off of drugs and are treated for any STDs they may contract in their lifestyle.  The sad truth is that we all know that prostitution and slavery are as old as human civilization.  We would wish for a world where the sexual enslavement of girls is not a reality, but such a world has never existed and it is unrealistic to think it ever will.

So what can we do?  The best and most realistic option we have available to us is to legalize sexual trafficking.  Now I know some will be appalled by this suggestion.  Those who hold to traditional morality and insist on standards of right and wrong will be repulsed by this suggestion.  They may even quote from the Bible or from the Declaration of Independence some stuff about people being made in God's image and having inherent dignity and worth and about the inalienable rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  But we must not allow an unhealthy influence of religion over politics.  These "traditional values" are old-fashioned and repressive.  We must be practical.  We must do what we can to make sure that sexual trafficking is safe for girls.

Here's how this plan would work to ensure safety and proper health care for the young women in this industry: If sexual trafficking were legal, then it could be a licensed, regulated and inspected industry, like any other industry in the world.  Inspectors could ensure that certain basic guidelines are enforced and that the girls are being treated well.  The girls could get medical treatment for any STDs, free abortions services for any pregnancy that may occur and drug rehabilitation for any addictions they have.  As an industry, sexual trafficking could also be taxed and the tax revenue could be used to pay for the services provided for the girls. 

Also, if sexual trafficking were legal, we could ensure that all girls have the free choice to enter the industry or not.  After all, if a 13, 14 or 15-year old girl is going to be enslaved to a life of prostitution, we have to make sure she has the right to make that choice, for the welfare of her family.  Not everyone would want to make that choice.  Personally, I'm strongly opposed to the idea of sexual trafficking.  I would never want my daughter to choose that life for herself, but who am I to judge others?  Sexual traffickers have to make a living, too, just like the rest of society. 

Some of you are probably deeply disturbed by my reasoning.  You are having a gut-level reaction that says, "This is wrong!" but think more clearly for a minute.  Consider all the problems in the world today that are caused by the fact that sexual trafficking is illegal.  Child prostitution has to occur in unsanitary places, in back alleys and seedy motels.  Proper safety protocol and sanitary working conditions can only be ensured through legalization.         

Still horrified? You should be. 

Sexual trafficking is a monstrous business.  No one should ever be deprived of the right to liberty or to the pursuit of happiness.  Our goal should be the elimination of sexual trafficking and we should work hard toward that goal, even if it is unattainable.  Why? Because it's the right thing to do, in keeping with human dignity and rights.

If this kind of reasoning sounds absurd and despicable when applied to human trafficking, why do we allow it to be applied to abortion?  Every abortion deprives a human being of the even more fundamental right to life.  If it is wrong to try to justify the legalization of sexual trafficking, why do we accept the dismemberment and poisoning of babies in their mothers' wombs? 

Do you not believe that an unborn child is really a baby? Watch this short video on human development in the womb. (No gross pictures of aborted babies here.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-6VLUVglG8

Also see 10 Vital Truths About Abortion