It's only natural that a political sex scandal would be discussed during the “Hot Topics” segment of ABC's The View. But it's not natural that a woman would become an advocate for exploiting other women.
On March 11, while discussing
In Goldberg's eyes, it would be safer for everyone involved:
GOLDBERG: I'm saying that this has been around since the beginning of time and it seems quite foolish now for us not to say, ok, with all the diseases out there, we need to do what they do in Nevada, which is they have a union, the ladies have a union, they're checked, they're taken care of, they're clean. You know what? Some people are in sexless marriages, as we talked about before, and if you don't have to sneak, if you can say, you know, I'm going to take care of it, there it is.
When questioned about her stance, Goldberg replied, “Some ladies make their living this way. Some women would rather do this and I'm saying I'd rather have them clean and safe so the guys are not coming home and giving [their wives] diseases.”
Legalization of prostitution may contribute to disease protection, but disease is not the only problem associated with the practice. The Nevada Coalition Against Sex Trafficking argues that prostitution always entails “profiting from women's poverty, childhood sexual abuse, sexual harassment and sexual exploitation.” A fact sheet from the Coalition states “Regardless of its legal status, prostitution is extremely harmful to those in it.” The Coalition points out that legalized prostitution in countries like
In 2005, Concerned Women for America cited a LifeSiteNews.com article in which
Goldberg also failed to acknowledge that “people are in sexless marriages” have better alternatives than visiting a prostitute. Why not try counseling and medical treatment rather than resorting to infidelity?
Thankfully, Barbara Walters recognized that there's more than just the transmission of STDs at stake. She told Goldberg, “It still wouldn't have made a difference. It may be a crime in what he did. That's a big deal. But what he did in terms of the family, that would not have changed.”
Walters apparently understands that no amount of government regulation will help the families of men who visit prostitutes. Legalizing prostitution does nothing to protect a wife reeling from the emotional suffering that results from her husband's unfaithfulness. It does nothing to ease the pain of discovering that the man she vowed to spend her life with has violated her trust.
Colleen Raezler is a research assistant at the Culture and Media Institute, a division of the
