Letter to the Editor Cape Argus

26 June 2001,

From: Christine Mc Cafferty, Blue Haze, Highway, Fish Hoek, 7975

Ryan Coetzee in his letter "Make Prostitution Legal" says that he
believes that "there is no moral basis for making (prostitution) a
crime." The question is, on what moral basis does Mr Coetzee make that
decision? On his own personal moral basis ofcourse.

While he accuses of Errol Naidoo of trying to impose his "personal
morality" on others, the truth is that Coetzee is guilty of the same. At
least Errol makes no bones about what his moral basis is: the Bible. At
least Naidoo's moral basis is shared with the vast majority of South
Africans. Furthermore Naidoo's belief that prostitution should be
illegal is shared with the other religions, cultures and races in South
Africa, and across the world. Coetzee, on the other hand, stands with
only a tiny minority of radical liberals who have only managed to have
their way in a tiny minority of countries - with devastating results.

Coetzee claims that prostitution is private behaviour that does not harm
anyone other than those involved. Is he unaware that grass roots
campaigns against prostitution worldwide are because the entire
community is affected is by prostitution-related problems? These include
dangerous paraphernalia (e.g discarded syringes and condoms), public
health risks, especially AIDS, harm to children, harassment of women,
neighbourhood decline, including property devaluation, and the
infiltration of communities by pimps and addicts. In Thailand where
prostitution has been legalised 70% of northern Thai girls over the age
of 11 are recruited into the sex industry in Bangkok where their lives
are destroyed through prostitution. In Thailand there are more brothels
than schools.

Prostitution is much more than what Coetzee terms "private behaviour" -
and even if it were, would that justify it? Are two drug addicts allowed
to inject cocaine into each other's jugulars because it is "private
behaviour" between two consenting adults? A study by a large U.S.
medical aid organisation found that two-thirds of prostitutes suffer
from post-traumatic stress disorder. Both those working on the streets
and in brothels showed psychological trauma similar to that suffered by
Vietnam war veterans.

Ryan Coetzee has no leg to stand on - either morally or pragmatically -
in his call to legalise prostitution. Naidoo clearly states that his
moral basis is the Bible, I wonder what Coetzee's is? This question is
very important to voters considering that Coetzee is an advisor to the
Democratic Alliance and Tony Leon.

From Christine Mc Cafferty