Critique of Melinda Tankard Reist's 'We must follow France and Put an End to Exploitation'

Melinda Tankard Reist has been described as a conservative feminist, (whatever that means) who fights against abortion, pornography and violence. While these are plausible goals, one could argue that her focus is too narrow by excluding boys and men who are subject to pornography. Furthermore, it can be argued that she assumes that all women in prostitution do so involuntarily.

 In her article, We must follow France and Put an End to Exploitation, she uses the death of Tracy Connelly as a example to suggest that all prostitutes want a way out. However, there are many who do it for the easy money and pleasure in any country. She also asks why the government has not made legislated to help prostitutes on the grounds that they are exploited as though only prostitutes are the only people in the world being exploited. While it is absolutely wrong to exploit anyone at all, it is not merely governmental responsibility to stop exploitation. The community has a larger responsibility in preventing exploitation by teaching children family and community values as the government is not a body that can stop everything immoral.

The ultimate silence that Reist makes is that prostitution damages men and children, not just women. It destroys families. What destroys men destroys families, what destroys families destroys communities, what destroys communities destroys a nation. This silence is deafening and so it appears that Reist is only trying to put forward her self-righteous agenda which only focuses on a favoured section of the community, rather than the community as a whole.

Any fight against the vices of the world needs to be done out of love for all others including those who are unlovable and cruel, not out of a legalistic sense of duty or moral outrage.