The article reports that NOW Magazine was accused of facilitating human trafficking by publishing ads for sex workers. It is noted that “NOW Magazine has published sex workers’ ads since its founding in 1981” (Scott, 2017). This practice allows sex workers to more effectively screen potential customers to increase their own safety. Recently, many laws have been passed in Canada restricting the advertising opportunities for them, which leads to an increase in street-based sex work. This situation leads to an increase in episodes of violence against sex workers and, in general, greatly reduces their safety. Thus, the author of the article concludes that the initiator of the anti-advertising movement in NOW Magazine pursues personal interests without considering the needs of the sex worker group.
Ethical utilitarianism calls for considering the situation from the point of view of the good for the greatest number of people. In this case, the group of sex workers and their clients is clearly a social minority. Thus, the fight against the ban on advertising their services represents the interests of the majority of society, which justifies such actions. However, from the point of view of ethical selfishness, sex workers have every right to defend their interests, even if they do not benefit other groups. At the same time, opponents of advertising their services have an equal right to promote their interests, which only leads to the identification of a conflict.
According to the categorical imperative, there are moral rules and laws that all members of society must follow, regardless of their desire. In this situation, there is a question of the safety of a group of people on the one hand and the maintenance of moral standards on the other. In this regard, it is necessary to note that the right to safety for sex workers is a natural need. At the same time, the desire of legislators and opponents of sex worker advertising to support moral values depends directly on the specific values of society. Thus, from the point of view of the categorical imperative, society should make every effort to ensure the safety of this group.
Reference
Scott, V. (2017). In defense of NOW Magazine’s sex workers’ ads. NOW Magazine. Web.