Selling sex shouldn't be made illegal

I read in the paper today that there are government plans to cut phone links to call girls and maybe even outlaw paying for sex. This is utterly stupid.

It is an oft-cited fact that prostitution is the world’s oldest profession – I have no idea whether this is true or not but it’s got to be up there in the top five. No matter what your moral views are on the matter, it is a fact that there will always be a demand for prostitutes. If we make it illegal for people to pay to have sex with others, the already dangerous trade will be driven further underground and become even riskier for those working in it.

Having studied several aspects of the sex industry in quite some depth as part of my first degree, I’ve read a variety of opinions on the pros and cons of the legalisation of prostitution. One particularly eminent authority on the subject is an Australian sex worker (I’ve forgotten her name) who chooses to remain in her profession, despite having published several academic works on the issue. She is a radical feminist who believes that sex trafficking statistics are vastly exaggerated, arguing that the majority of these women are fully aware of what they’re signing up to and, even when they’re not, they choose to remain doing it when they’re free to go. She says this is because it’s good money, and as long as they’re working in a brothel where they’re protected by their pimps it’s not actually that dangerous.

While this does seem to be a somewhat rose-tinted view of the murky world of prostitution, she makes some valid points and it’s important to remember that there are at least two sides to every story. By outlawing a practice that is ingrained in society the world over, we will drive prostitutes onto the streets where they’ll have no choice but to get into the cars of strangers, taking their lives into their hands with every tenner they earn. Surely it would be better for everyone if it was legalised – this has worked well in the Netherlands, where prostitution is made much safer with free sexual health services and brothels are regulated, where the women (and men) who work in the industry can join unions and are liable for income tax. By adopting a fresh approach we could reduce STI rates, tackle the stigma and taboo surrounding this subject and make things safer for everyone involved.

Cyclists: the bane of my life

I’ve been working on a highly scientific observation process since coming to Cardiff which is based on what I see on my journey from home to uni, and I reckon around 80% of cyclists don’t wear helmets. A fall from a bike is pretty likely to entail some form of head/ground contact – in fact, according to brake.org.uk, nearly 50% of cyclists’ A&E admissions are for head and face injuries. So why don’t people bother helmetting up?

Let’s face it; cycle helmets aren’t ‘cool’ – you wouldn’t catch Vinnie Jones dead in one, and we all know that he is the embodiment of what a young person wants to be. Admittedly, dying young often gives people a ‘cool’ status (Kurt Cobain, James Dean)… But is premature death the length you want to go to to be assigned such a meaningless label through shunning a potentially life-saving piece of plastic?

An equivalent in driving terms is the seatbelt: I fail to understand why taxi drivers, who spend their lives driving dangerously, don’t see the need to wear them. Luckily, role models are starting to reinforce the fact that they’re actually pretty important – in fact wearing one saved rapper Kanye West’s life, as he reminds us in his lyric on Through the Wire, “Thank God I ain’t too cool for the safe belt.” I can’t imagine the multi-Grammy award-winning artist being too happy about scooting round the Principality on a push bike, but I hope you can appreciate the comparison.

Anyway, I digress. The other thing that absolutely infuriates me to ear-steaming levels is the fact that cyclists expect to be given the same rights as drivers without accepting the associated responsibilities. If they want to cycle on the roads and be respected by car drivers, they need to adhere to the rules. It seems to be the norm for cyclists to completely ignore red lights, sailing through them as if it’s their divine right, while becoming fist-shakingly indignant if a driver doesn’t happen to notice their half-hearted arm flap. This miniscule movement supposedly lets other road users know that the cyclist intends to turn right, resulting in drivers being cut up and half the time causing multi-vehicle pile-ups.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that people are being environmentally friendly and getting some exercise at the same time – but endangering others through reckless behaviour and sheer stupidity is seriously uncool.