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Thursday March 13, 2008
Spitzer, Dershowitz and "victimless" crimes
Of all the sad and pathetic aspects of the fall of Gov. Eliot Spitzer, when his almost decade-long use of prostitutes was uncovered, the most pathetic was Prof. Alan Dershowitz’s assertion that prostitution was a “victimless crime.” A vicious and destructive “myth” is the foundation of such a wrong-headed assertion—the myth of the “happy hooker.”
The vast majority of women in prostitution have been sexually abused as children or adolescents. The overwhelming number of them would vastly prefer to not to be in the “business”—a business that systematically and ruthlessly exploits them and then, when they are “damaged goods,” shoves them ever further down the ladder to seamier and seamier levels of the business.
The “Emperor’s Club,” the escort service of choice for former Gov. Spitzer, is still just a bunch of glorified pimps who take a 50 percent cut off the top from the fee paid by johns for sexually exploiting a young woman.
The women are subjected to devastating psychological and physical harm. Almost all the women in prostitution, at whatever level, if they are not prostituting themselves in order to support a drug habit, become drug addicts to anesthetize themselves emotionally in order to keep on selling their bodies.
This is a gruesome business, and the young woman is the first, but not the only, victim in a sad and tragic parade of victims. Who can look at the shattered faith of a brokenhearted spouse whose trust has been so horribly betrayed and not see her as a victim? Additionally, if press reports are to be believed, Gov. Spitzer was willing to pay “extra” for unprotected sex, thus, potentially exposing his wife to one or more of the more than twenty sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) at epidemic stage in our society. Only yesterday, a study was released that reported that one in four young women in this country currently have at least one STD. How many of them were given their disease by a partner who got it from a prostitute?
Lastly, what about the children of fathers who are known to have frequented prostitutes? Are we not to see former Gov. Spitzer’s three teenage daughters and their shattered trust in their father as victims?
A “victimless crime”—I don’t think so.
Filed Under: casting stones, Eliot Spitzer, Richard Land
posted by Dr. Richard Land @ 5:47pm Permalink 
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About Casting Stones
Diana Butler Bass is a religion scholar and author of Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith. She blogs at God’s Politics.
Tony Campolo is Professor Emeritus at Eastern University and author of The God of Intimacy and Action: Reconnecting Ancient Spiritual Practices, Evangelism, and Justice, with Mary Darling. He blogs at God’s Politics.
Rod Dreher is a columnist for The Dallas Morning News and author of Crunchy Cons: The New Conservative Counterculture and Its Return to Roots. He blogs at Crunchy Con.
Bruce Feiler is the author of seven books, including Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses. He blogs at Feiler Faster.
Dan Gilgoff is Politics Editor at Beliefnet and author of The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War. He blogs at God-o-Meter.
David Kuo served as a special assistant to President George W. Bush and is the author of Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction. He blogs at J-Walking.
Dr. Richard Land is president of The Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and author of The Divided States of America? What Liberals AND Conservatives are missing in the God-and-country shouting match!
Michele McGinty is a mom and a student at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. She blogs at Reformed Chicks Blabbing.
Brian McLaren is a pastor, musician, and author of Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope. He blogs at God’s Politics.
Steven Waldman is co-founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief of Beliefnet. His book Founding Faith will be published in March, and he can be reached through the Beliefnet community.
Jim Wallis is executive director of Sojourners/Call to Renewal and author of God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It. He blogs at God’s Politics.
Comments
Of course an article by Richard Land would appear on a blog called "Casting Stones". He's pretty good at it.
Too bad Christ told us that the one among you who is without sin should cast the first one.
I wonder who put Mr. Land in charge of the stones? To what address should we mail our stones, Mr. Land?
Posted by: | March 15, 2008 5:31 PM
I, too, though Dershowitz completely ignored what drives women into protitution. As a man, does he imagine that these women love their work??!! It's a desparate move when nothing else seems to pay the bills. And all such women are victimized by their Johns' demands, no matter how kind and congenial they seem.
Posted by: Nita | March 16, 2008 12:55 PM
{A “victimless crime”—I don’t think so.}
Unfortunately, too many people do not realize just how many people are victims, and how many lives are ruined as a result of prostitution.
And when governors - or other leaders - participate in the evil of prostitution it sends the wrong signals to the youth in our society.
Sadly enough, our Country is calling evil good, and good evil. Woe to us.
Prayer:
Lord God Almighty,
Forgive our horendous sins and bring this country a Spiritual Awakening before it is too late.
In the Name of Jesus, we pray.
Amen.
Posted by: Kathyjoyful2day | March 16, 2008 5:35 PM
I'm sorry, I didn't see any "stones" being cast by Dr. Land, only factual, albeit tragic information about an activity that is at the same time sinful, criminal, and life-threatening. If people could only get past their blind hatred of Christians, and indeed, Christianity itself, perhaps they could see the truth in Dr. Land's words.
It's interesting that the folks who are so virulently anti-Christian first speak of our being "judgmental" and "hateful," but where are they when these lives hit bottom? Nowhere to be found, that's where! But we are there with arms out to pick them up, love them, restore them, and let them know that no matter what they've done, they have a Savior who died for THEM TOO! Oh yes, and He even died for the ones who hate us...and Him!
Posted by: Lee | March 17, 2008 12:05 PM
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