It seems Covid 19 has dominated everything since it took over. Every aspect of life. It has certainly dominated our radio show. This Tuesday it will certainly be discussed again but this time with a twist. Prostitution! Now that I have your attention allow me to explain.
Prostitution is illegal. You don’t file your taxes and say prostitute. At least not in 49 states. Yet we do know prostitution is happening in the shadows all over America. Most of us don’t even think about it. Prostitutes have faced a tremendous slow down in business since Covid 19. You may think that is good. You may think that is bad. However, those people still have bills to pay. It is not easy to find a job when we are losing 10 million jobs in two weeks. Their options are very limited. They are still prostituting but you can’t practice social distancing when your job demands you be as close as possible.
So what do we do? Do we let them keep on working in the shadows and possibly spreading Covid 19? Do we hunt them down and throw them in jail? I really don’t think it is possible. Do we ask them to come forward with no risk of penalty so we can give them some type of financial assistance?
I think if we are serious about slowing the spread of Covid 19 the last choice may be our best solution. We have run programs giving drug users clean needles to slow the spread of Aids. We didn’t jail the user for possession. It was not us condoning their choice to use drugs. It was us saying we see a health risk to society and you are not going to change your behavior but we need to at least make your behavior safer.
I mean I guess we could just let them all get sick and infect people along the way but that does not seem like the smartest approach. The reality is Covid 19 makes us answer uncomfortable questions about ourselves and our society. What do we really value and cling to? Money? Things? Religious doctrine? Life? I always choose life. In my opinion it is worth it to put all other concerns aside and help these people. Let’s give the prostitutes money to stay in bed…alone.
