As a wife mother, full-time worker and law-abiding citizen, I was appalled by the revelation that Eliot Spitzer was - well - you know. Sexual indiscretions are certainly nothing new in politics, but this was hard to get your mind around. As much as Eliot Spitzer was considered inflexible and difficult, single minded and fixated when it came to his idea of right vs. wrong, the aura he created for himself was one of almost rigorous political self-flagellation. The reaction of everyone who heard this was stunned disbelief no matter what your opinion of him might be. His political live is over (natch!) and one can only imagine how deep his personal black hole is right now.
The young woman who is the second part of this story, Ashley Youmans, has a bit of a different experience. Suddenly she is catapaulted from high-end "escort", another, kinder name for a prostitute, to being on the business end of music contracts, modeling opportunities, interviews and most likely countless interviews and book offers. The discussion surrounding the "victimless crime" of prostitution arises again...what two consenting adults agree to, etc., etc., etc. The fact is, that most prostitutes do NOT make $1,000 for an encounter. Most are trapped in a life of abuse, drugs, disease and degredation. Ms. Youmans experience both pre-and post-Spitzer is not representative of the life available to the large majority of women who sell themselves for money.
That being said, the fact is this: Both Eliot Spitzer and Ashley Youmans broke the law. She's the hooker, he's the john. They engaged in illegal sexual activity. The fact that he's a prominent millionaire/politician makes no difference. The fact that she earns an exhorbitant amount of money for commercial sexual relations makes it no different that if she were standing on a corner in some seedy neighborhood.
No matter what anyones opinion may be of the whole prostitution issue, the same law that applies to some guy in vehicle propositoning a girl on the corner of Anytown USA applies to Spitzer and Youmans. So we shouldn't vilify Spitzer for his behaviors and laud Youmans for hers. Neither one should gain from the experience.
As far as the victimless crime theory? Spitzer's three young daughters might have something to say about that.
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