Department
Arts, Languages, and Philosophy
Major
Art History
Research Advisor
Potthast, Adam
Advisor's Department
Arts, Languages, and Philosophy
Abstract
Sex sells, but in America the sex itself cannot be sold. The women and men of the sex trade are being denied the right to reign sovereign over him/herself, and over his/her own body and mind. John Stuart Mill declared that the right to this kind of self-governance is fundamental in any free society. In America today we are allowing the despotism of collective opinion to oppress the oldest profession is existence prostitution. This system not only undermines the individual freedom of the prostitute to govern his/her own choices and action, but also permits legal moralism to replace concrete rights with tenuous moral biases. The current United States policy banning prostitution is inconsistence with other policies, harmful to the individuals currently practicing prostitution, and ultimately harmful to society as a whole.
Biography
Jennie Ziverk Carr received a B.A. in Art History from Missouri State University in December of 2007. Prior to graduating, Jennie accepted an internship at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas and helped curate an exhibition of modern Mexican prints. She began taking undergraduate courses at Missouri University of Science and Technology in the Fall of 2007 and has placed special emphasis on the study of philosophy. Jennie will begin her two-year commitment with the non-profit organization Teach for America in June of 2008. She looks forward to teaching underprivileged children in /ow-income schools in Houston, Texas.
Research Category
Humanities/Social Sciences
Presentation Type
OURE Fellows Final Oral Presentation
Document Type
Presentation
Award
Humanities/Social Sciences Oral Presentation - Third Place
Location
Havener Center, Gasconade Room
Presentation Date
9 April 2008, 9:00 am - 9:30 am
Autonomy and the Consequences of Criminalizing Prostitution
Havener Center, Gasconade Room
Sex sells, but in America the sex itself cannot be sold. The women and men of the sex trade are being denied the right to reign sovereign over him/herself, and over his/her own body and mind. John Stuart Mill declared that the right to this kind of self-governance is fundamental in any free society. In America today we are allowing the despotism of collective opinion to oppress the oldest profession is existence prostitution. This system not only undermines the individual freedom of the prostitute to govern his/her own choices and action, but also permits legal moralism to replace concrete rights with tenuous moral biases. The current United States policy banning prostitution is inconsistence with other policies, harmful to the individuals currently practicing prostitution, and ultimately harmful to society as a whole.
