An admitted call girl once said that prostitution is a profitablebusiness if you market it correctly and properly screen yourclients. The U.S. Department of Commerce claims that theunderground economy (especially illegal gambling and prostitution)represents between 3 and 40 percent beyond the legal economy. Fifidefends the right to sell sex between consenting adults and arguesthat a person has the right to use his or her body in any way thatmaximizes income. “We allow people to box professionally. So why dowe allow people to beat the heck out of each other for a living,but prohibit people from being nice to each other (via sexualacts)?” From the perspective of prostitutes, such as Fifi, “It’snot the government’s business. Should sex between consenting adultsbe a concern of the government at all? We allow prostitution inNevada and in many other countries, so we’re inconsistent as well.You mean to tell me that all those places are immoral? We do thesame thing that a legal massage parlor does, only we do it ondifferent parts of the body.” However, many former prostitutes saythat most were drug addicts and many were molested as children oras young girls or boys. “When I first did it, I felt a tremendoussense of power,” said Bula, “but that feeling quickly faded.Feelings of powerlessness, shame, and drug addiction ultimatelyfollowed, knowing that my prostitution was a continuing form ofabuse, even though I made good money.”

• Evaluate the moral permissibility of Fifi’s decision to be aprostitute.

• Evaluate the moral permissibility of Bula’s decision to be aprostitute