Founding Co-Director, Faith Voices for the Common Good
Position:
Pro to the question "Should prostitution be legal?"
Reasoning:
"I advocate the DECRIMINALIZATION of sex work, accompanied by aggressive enforcement of laws against the sexual abuse of children, violence against women, child abuse, and domestic violence, as well as universal health care, addiction rehabilitation, living wage laws, and other feminist social reforms that would improve the lives of women and give them dignity and freedom. Adults should be able to enage in adult, consensual, nonviolent sex without state interference. Abuse of children, addictions, and poverty are major reasons women and children wind up in prostitution. Neither decriminalization nor legalization can fix the feeder systems for it, but legalization often means the state regulates and taxes prostitution, placing it in the role of pimp. Criminalization makea sex work more dangerous, more difficult to leave, and more prone to be exploited by law enforcement officials."
Experts
Individuals with MDs, JDs, PhDs, other relevant advanced degrees, and government officials with significant involvement in, or related to, prostitution issues.
Involvement and Affiliations:
Founding Co-Director, Faith Voices for the Common Good
Visiting Scholar, Starr King School for the Ministry, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California
Mentor, Women of Color Scholars Program, United Methodist Church, 1989-present
Fellow, Center for Values in Public Life, Harvard Divinity School, 2001-2002
Director, Fellowship Program, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, 1997-2001
Board of Trustees, Starr King School for the Ministry, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California, 1992-2001
