France - prostitution: criminalising clients?

French lawmakers have drafted a bill that would make it illegal to pay for sex. Under the proposed legislation, clients of prostitutes could be jailed for six months and be made to pay up to 3,000 euros in fines. The bill is modelled on the Swedish system, where a similar law is credited with curbing street prostitution. Here in France, however, it is something of a revolution, since prostitution is not illegal.

Programme prepared by Diaraye Bah and Pauline Heilmann

Comments (2)

doing it for cash?

by Anonyme - 31/08/2011 - 18:29

Personally, being a trained carpenter, I can see absolutely no difference, religion and moralising aside, between what a prostitute does, and what I used to do when working.

We both sell the skills we have. Myself, by the use of my brain and hands, the female, by the use of her physical portions, and if sensible, by her brain..

If I make a serious mistake, it could mean a damaging and dangerous occurrence, she could make the error of practising her business whilst diseased.

Both could have devastating consequences.

We all make mistakes, but why prostitution should be 'outlawed' seems to me to be rather a biased situation.

Add into the debate 'religion', and the cause of morality, and suddenly, we get the situation where a woman, because of her physical structure, can be penalised for doing, what is after all, a completely natural act.

One must ask, is it that she will be paid for her 'services' that stuffs up the sinuses, just as I, the ever so 'morally' behaving carpenter does, that is really behind all the 'goody two shoes' attitude of certain sectors of our society?

The fact is, I as the carpenter, may offer my services to anyone who wishes to use them, I am not tied into a fixed 'contract', at least not of the same type as marriage, or unless for a fixed term whilst employed on a long term basis, which I suppose equates to marriage, so our lady friend can quite readily operate under the same terms, as I see it.

Should she decide to wed, and place herself into a long term 'contract', then, under the present social mores, she will have the option to become a faithful wife, putting away any choice in the matter.

I feel we moralise far too much, especially when that 'moralising' tends to apply ONLY to women.