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30 Law & Ineq. 19 (2012)
Revisiting the Prostitution Debate: Uniting Liberal and Radical Feminism in Pursuit of Policy Reform

handle is hein.journals/lieq30 and id is 21 raw text is: 19 Revisiting the Prostitution Debate: Uniting Liberal and Radical Feminism in Pursuit of Policy Reform Katie Berant Introduction When the state legalized prostitution, to me, it legalized rape. -former Danish prostitute' The legalization of rape-surely no feminist would be so antiwoman as to advocate for such a policy. Still, there has been debate within the feminist community for decades about the most effective government policy approach to prostitution, and many feminists and prostitutes argue for its legalization. The fact that feminists and prostitutes take a position one former prostitute considers tantamount to the legalization of rape reflects the complexity of this debate. Prostitution-a topic that implicates philosophical and moral questions of autonomy, power, gender, and oppression-is far too complicated to elicit a uniform response from feminist legal advocates. Prostitution, often referred to as the oldest profession,' involves the exchange of sex for money.' Most common law t. J.D. expected 2012, University of Pennsylvania Law School; B.A., Sociology, American University, 2009. I would like to thank Professor Serena Mayeri for her support and guidance in writing this article. 1. When I heard these haunting words leave the mouth of a former Danish prostitute, my conception of prostitution was changed forever. While studying in Denmark in 2007, I took a course that explored the politics of prostitution in Europe. As part of the class, we heard from many former and current prostitutes. This particular speaker was incredibly moving, and her story inspired me to write this article. I have omitted her name to protect her anonymity. 2. Some feminists take issue with the premise that prostitution is the world's oldest profession. It would be more correct to say that this claim is the world's oldest excuse. Prostitution is not a profession. Prostitution is an age-old consequence of an unequal power structure. .. . The clich6 that prostitution is the world's oldest profession legitimates prostitution as an original-not to say unchangeable-part of the 'labour market' reserved for the poorest women and the women with the least resources all over the world. KFUK's SOCIALE ARBEJDE, TEN MYTHS ABOUT PROSTITUTION 3 (2005) (detailing arguments by Danish NGO KFUK's Sociale Arbejde that purchasing prostitution services constitutes a violent act that should have consequences for the purchaser). 3. Though other parts of the sex industry, such as pornography, live sex

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