Sr. Síle McGowan:

I wish to make a brief point. It has been mentioned that the value of the industry is €180 million. If prostitution was to be legalised in Ireland, it would be subject to taxes. The budget is being discussed and if prostitution was to be legalised, the income from it would appear some day as part of our GNP. Would anyone like to have his or her social welfare, education or other benefits financed through the proceeds from prostitution? That is a horrible thought.

In the final analysis prostitution is not about women; it is about the male customer and the male consumer market. If we focus on the woman's choice or right to engage in prostitution, we deflect attention from the primary fact that there is prostitution because of male customer demand. The sex industry - brothels, trafficking and so on - operates to satisfy that demand by providing women, but neither the market nor nobody else cares how they become involved in it.