Prostitution....with a twist

[LSN80]

This was originally from the Greensburg Tribune Review, but I'll be damned if I can't find it online to present the story. I'll do my best to summarize:

*Mandy Sarinson* is a 34 old mother of two. The decisions she made leading up to her situation are irrelevant, it's what happened after that's important.

*Sarinson* was married for 10 years, when her husband suddenly split. Not only split, but disappeared. She, at her husband Michael's insistence, had been a stay-at-home mother, and while he did fairly well, money doesn't last. What did Sarinson turn to for cash? Prostitution. Right or wrong, she found she could make a living that allowed her to keep her house and provide for her kids.

18 months ago, *Sarinson* was arrested for prostitution. She was dead to rights. The arresting officer paid her for sex, then promptly arrested her. But he offered to drop the charges if....she threw five freebies his way.

Initially, *Sarinson* was repulsed, but she considered it. By blind luck, I suppose, she came to my practice and wound up as my client. I don't usually give advice, but I was strongly against it. I encouraged her to go to the police, alleging extortion, but she said, as I knew, it would his word against hers. Plus, as a prostitute, how believable did that make her? Not very, she argued, and I knew. Besides, what would happen if it went to trial, or she settled for a plea bargain? She'ld certainly go to jail, and where would that leave her kids? Not only while she was in jail, but following?

In the end, *Sarinson* decided to initially throw him freebies. But after two, she got smart, and recorded the conversations regarding the matter while they were 'together'. She passed the information on to the police, the officer was arrested, and *Sarinson* was off the hook for her testifying against the officer at his trial. Whether she still engages in prostitution I don't know, as she's no longer my client.(Hence why I can post that part. )

I'm not saying what *Sarinson* did was right, from engaging in prostitution to agreeing and throwing the cop freebies for dropping the charges. I also understand that with kids, one will do a lot to protect them. But morally, it's a different story altogether. Things turned out well for *Sarinson*, I suppose, but they could have gone very, very badly. I'm not in her situation, but personally, I couldn't have done what she did. Both morally and legally it goes against what I believe.

Would you have thrown the cop some freebies, or done the time when caught?

If( speaking hypothetically) prostitution or something else illegal was the only option to provide for your family, would you do it?



All other thoughts or discussion surrounding this are welcome.

 

[Mustang Sally]

The arresting officer paid her for sex, then promptly arrested her. But he offered to drop the charges if....she threw five freebies his way.

Talk about a "sting" operation. Can you imagine the cop saying in court he had sex with her, not because he wanted to, but because his Captain had ordered him to as part of an "undercover" operation? (the puns just keep "coming") How do you think the judge would see it? It's one thing for the cop to make a date with a hooker......but one in which he goes "all the way" through with it? That's dirty pool.

To answer your question about whether she should let him have the freebies; since she's having sex with him and many others anyway, why not accept his offer to give a freebie a week after the initial sting, scrub herself really clean, give him the business.....and go right to a lab where it could be conclusively proven the sperm inside her that day was his? Then, the "ball" is in his court, no? It would be on record that the sex act was performed on a freebie day, not the one the cop was threatening her with.....and presumably, she'd have the police unable to prosecute her unless they also want to bust the cop for having solicited sex. What else is he gonna do, claim he had to take two samples to entrap her?

This arrangement (minus the sting) sounds a lot like that TV show "The Client List" with Jennifer Love Hewitt. Her husband left her with two kids and no money, forcing her to seek employment in a massage parlor, where an elite client list was offered "more than just a massage" as part of the service. During the first season, the audience was unsure whether the "extra" service involved a super-sensual massage, reaching under the guy's towel.....or climbing right on the table with him.

Prostitution? Face it, things are tough for a poor working girl nowadays.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As far as prostitution itself goes, I think the biggest tragedy are the dangers that the women face while they're working out on the streets. A huge reason why such dangers exist is because it's illegal.

For some strange reason, certain countries, America being one of the most obvious, has done just about everything it can to stigmatize sex and just about anything to do with it. Some parents won't allow their children to be taught sexual education in school, some refuse to allow their children to even date until they're legally adults if they live under the same roof, etc. We've all been told at various points that sex or certain aspects of sex are "dirty" and "wrong" and it's been hammered into Americans for generations upon generations. I suppose a lot of it has to do with religious beliefs as so many of the major religions do look upon sex, especially sex between unmarried people, to be sinful.

While prostitution might not be looked upon as the world's noblest profession, some people simply don't have the means, the drive, the love, ambition or ability to be a doctor or lawyer or politician, etc. Besides, when you think about it, so many of these "respectable" or "noble" callings in life aren't so noble anymore. You read or hear about doctors all the time who are running what's called "pill farms" in which they shell out narcotics for a little extra cash to people they know will either abuse or sell them. Some flat out don't care about what sort of illness or injury a person is suffering from, only whether or not their insurance will pay them for treating them. Some are so busy stuffing their clinics that they try to see as many patients as possible, so you certainly don't get that "personal" touch from many doctors as you used to. As for attorneys, their are obviously some who are good people & caring people, like doctors or anyone else for that matter. Like the medical community, however, the image of the practice of law has really been tarnished by crooked attorneys, attorneys who engage in really kind of helping their clients knowingly break the law while hiding behind privilege, attorneys who purposely seek to defend people who could be categorized as monsters just for the hopes of becoming famous, etc. Plus, look at how screwed up the legal system as a whole is. As for politicians...well there's nothing really to say is there? Personally, the idea of paying a woman $50 for oral sex doesn't quite disgust me in the same way as most of the things that go on in the world of politics, and that's just the things that we happen to know about.

As for whether or not I would've done the freebies, I think I'd ultimately have tried to do what she did. It would be easy to say that you'd rather go to jail than be blackmailed into giving it up but what if you had two children depending on you? If she'd chosen to get arrested, the odds are strong that she could have lost custody of her children. If you've ever had dealing with the Child Welfare Authorities, it can be a royal pain in the ass. Imagine someone digging into your palm with a piece of broken glass. Now, just imagine that same digging, burning, irritation going on for months or years while you struggle to get your kids out of the system.

Even in this day and age, a lot of women do find themselves in positions where they don't really have a choice. This woman, for instance, did the stay-at-home mom thing in what was probably a very traditional sort of marriage. It's still very common for the man to work and for the woman to take care of the house and kids. As a result, she possibly didn't really have any sort of marketable skills and bills were starting to pile up. Or, at least, I'd imagine that's what was happening. What's she going to do? Flip burgers at $5 an hour where she might work a total of 20 hours a week, especially starting out? It's just not a realistic option.

I admire the woman for what she was willing to do for her children and to keep a roof over their heads. It's a shame that she found herself in the situation but she did what she had to do for her family. As I alluded to earlier, I think the biggest shame is that society looks down on women like her. When it's all said and done, you have to do the best you can and make the best out of any situation. Real life doesn't always work out like some morality play or movie that have convenient plot twists that make everything comes out smelling like a rose.

If I have a daughter, I can't say I'd be very thrilled with her working as a sex worker. For most people, I think that there are just some aspects of your child's life, even when they're adults, that you just simply don't want to allow yourself to consider or think about for your own little peace of mind, if nothing else. For me, it wouldn't make me love her any less, and I would do my best to find out why she was involved in it. I might even try to convince her to get out of it. I wouldn't be ashamed of her, I just know that she would face very unpleasant stigma from less open minded people.

 

[Slyfox696]

First of all, I think prostitution being illegal is silly. Legalize it, regulate it, tax it, make it safer and everyone wins.

Second of all, I reject the notion this woman had no other option but prostitution. I happen to know someone who is in a very similar situation (only going through a divorce) and she found a job working at a car plant.

Third of all, if she was willing to have sex with the man who turned out to be the undercover officer, why would she be repulsed at the idea of having sex to avoid jail? Seems like splitting hairs to me.

Finally, I hope the officer spends many years in jail and this woman finds some other way to support herself and her children, not because I'm against prostitution, but because it's illegal and her kids should not have to grow up knowing their mother is in jail.

 

[Slice]

Well ya learn something new every day; I didn't know prostitution was completely illegal in the US :/

Anyway,


Would you have thrown the cop some freebies, or done the time when caught?
if she went into it knowing it's "illegal" she made a choice not to follow the law, so I would throw him the freebies (and record it like she did). I mean it's not that much of a stretch from that point.

If( speaking hypothetically) prostitution or something else illegal was the only option to provide for your family, would you do it?
I don't plan on ever making a family, this being one of the reasons why xD I don't want anyone to depend on me to live and stuff.
BUT HYPOTHETICALLY
If I had no other way to make money, sure I'd do something illegal, because the laws were made by humans and no human is infallible. Cigarettes and alcohol are okay but other drugs are ILLEGAL. Plus I've seen the law do plenty of damage instead of the good it was supposedly intended to do. So sure, I'd do something illegal in a heartbeat xD

 

[MattyB]

I believe prostitution should be legal anyways, but as an 18 year old male I dont think its my kind of work.

Now if I were in Sarinson's predicament same person and everything I would have a hard time doing it at first. Realistically I couldnt see myself doing it at all. But I dont have two kids that at the time we're probably scared out of their minds.

I dont think she was wrong in what she did, but I feel like there could have been a better way.

 

[LSN80]

First of all, I think prostitution being illegal is silly. Legalize it, regulate it, tax it, make it safer and everyone wins.

Agree completely, under certain conditions. Tax them, mandatory drug testing and health/wellness checks to ensure it is safe.

Morally, I'm opposed to it, but in reality, it's no different then the drunk guy/gal who has a one night stand. The only difference is that money is exhanged, with the former being perfectly legal. The only difference is that money is exchanged, and dissimilating legally is absurd.

If two people want to come to an arrangement about how they conduct themselves, it's truly a victimless crime, as long as it's done safely. Two people who 'hook up' without the exchange of money share the same risks of someone paying for sex.

Second of all, I reject the notion this woman had no other option but prostitution. I happen to know someone who is in a very similar situation (only going through a divorce) and she found a job working at a car plant.

Again, I agree, and perhaps she didn't try hard enough to find alternative work. Once she found herself in the situation, she found the money good enough to where she was able to live comfortably.

I don't condone what she did. As a 30 year old man with a high education, I'd take a job at McDonald's if it meant providing for my family. I find too often that people look for the easy way out, rather then the right way.

Third of all, if she was willing to have sex with the man who turned out to be the undercover officer, why would she be repulsed at the idea of having sex to avoid jail? Seems like splitting hairs to me.

It was the idea that he was extorting her in order to avoid jail. We agree that prostitution should be legal, yes? Extorting someone for sex, not so much.

Finally, I hope the officer spends many years in jail and this woman finds some other way to support herself and her children, not because I'm against prostitution, but because it's illegal and her kids should not have to grow up knowing their mother is in jail.

She's off the hook, and currently, the officer is on trial. If I can find the article online, I'll pull it up. What she did was what she felt was a necessity to support her children. What he did was take advantage of that, and to me, is tantamount to rape in a sense. No, he didn't force himself on her, but he told her " Have sex with me, or go to jail."

Whatever dignity she had left, he attempted to take from her, and he deserves to pay dearly for it.

As for whether or not I would've done the freebies, I think I'd ultimately have tried to do what she did. It would be easy to say that you'd rather go to jail than be blackmailed into giving it up but what if you had two children depending on you? If she'd chosen to get arrested, the odds are strong that she could have lost custody of her children. If you've ever had dealing with the Child Welfare Authorities, it can be a royal pain in the ass. Imagine someone digging into your palm with a piece of broken glass. Now, just imagine that same digging, burning, irritation going on for months or years while you struggle to get your kids out of the system.

To be honest, and this may sound hypocritical based upon my moral objection to it, but if I found myself in the situation, I would have done the freebies without blackmailing him back. Yes, it shows exactly what you were talking about earlier: A generally "Noble" profession such as a law enforcement is being corrupted, but why go through the motions of the trial? If she didn't have the moral 'fortitude' to say no to having sex for money, which is illegal, why suddenly take a moral objection to the officer's proposal?

As much as what he did was repugnant and disgusts me, the only difference is he wasn't paying her. There's a rape element involved as well, as it's 'forced sex', but she was willing to have sex with him for money, right?

In order to avoid CYS, a trial, and her children finding out, I would have done what the officer proposed if I was in her shoes, he's a scumbag and deserves to rot in prison for what he did, but in the bigger picture, it protects her family.

And that's more important then anything in the world.

 

[cawsnallthis]

I tend to take the George Carlin outlook on this one. "Selling is legal. Fucking is legal. Why isn't selling fucking legal?"