Philosophy is a unique science because it touches almost every single area of the human life. The issues of the good and the evil, right and wrong, love and hate are all studied by philosophy that tries to suggest some ways of dealing with this phenomena to the people. With the course of time and with the development of the society the issues with which philosophy deals become more diverse and complicated. Ethics as a part of philosophy acquires greater importance as such phenomena as human cloning, same sex marriages, etc. bother the social thought. In this context, the issue of sex tourism also comes to mind as one of the controversial points of morale and ethics (Boodram, 2001). Thus, the current paper will focus on the philosophical perspective of the introduction of sex tourism in Jamaica, one of the countries with this issue is a burning one.
Naturally, the initial lines of this essay should state my point of view on the issue of sex tourism in Jamaica. As a responsible and ethical citizen I am strongly against the idea of introduction of this branch of entertainment in Jamaica. The first reason for it is the consideration of moral values. From the philosophical point of view, sex tourism cannot be moral as far as tourists travel abroad to find the sexual relations with people they hardly know or will never see after the end of the trip. Many of these tourists are married people who leave families and children at home while looking for some new feelings and experiences abroad. Such a behavior cannot be called moral, and this is the reason why I do not support the phenomenon that facilitates such immoral behavior in the society (Morris, 1999).
Moreover, I stand on the position that the upbringing of the younger generations of people in Jamaica and in many other countries will be damaged by sex tourism introduction. It is an obvious fact that the people who consider the sexual relations between unfamiliar people to be moral and acceptable for the society cannot be allowed to raise children and surely cannot raise children properly even if they are allowed to. It is certainly good to educate children in the area of sexual life and relations between sexes, but there should be a limit to the information that children should and should not receive (Sex Tourism in Jamaica, 2009). I am strongly convinced that sex tourism is the phenomenon that can undermine the moral values of children as soon as they come to know about it or face in their lives.
Finally, I am the opponent of sex tourism in the light of the fact that it can be a serious danger to the health of both tourists and those who offer such services to them. This idea can also be fit into the plane of philosophy, but this time the philosophy of the healthy humanity. It is a universal truth that the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st centuries has become the time of the emergence of numerous new diseases the most dangerous of which, like AIDS and HIV are caught during sexual intercourses (Boodram, 2001). Other issues including venereal diseases should also be considered while speaking of sex tourism. From the philosophical point of view, becoming seriously or fatally ill is not the goal of any human being so the introduction of the sex tourism that presents the possibility of the former is not a wise step (Morris, 1999).
Nevertheless, the opinions in support of sex tourism as a quite legal and even necessary branch of entertainment are also numerous. The main argument these opinions are based on is that sex tourism should be introduced as far as people look for such services and there are organizations that can offer them. Moreover, reports evidence that Jamaica is a rather attractive destination for sex tourists, especially white women looking for sexual relations with African men (Women’s Sex Tourism, 2007). Demand causes supply and the sex tourism industry appears in Jamaica irrespective of numerous reasons due to which it should be forbidden. The supporters of sex tourism in Jamaica call for human rights, especially the freedom of choice, when they defend sex tourism, but I stick to the point that it is not about freedom but about the philosophy of the human life, about morale and ethics. Accordingly, it is possible to value human rights and freedoms without the introduction of sex tourism and undermining of the basics of the ethically conditioned society.
To conclude, I should state once again that as a responsible and ethical citizen I am strongly against the idea of introduction of sex tourism industry in Jamaica. There are moral, ethical, and even purely health care reasons due to which sex tourism is dangerous for the society and its development. The claims that the protest against sex tourism violates human rights and freedoms are groundless as far as it has never been considered a human value to promote occasional sexual relations and immoral behaviors of people.
References
- Boodram, A. (2001). Sex Tourism.
- Morris, T. (1999). Philosophy for Dummies. IDG Books.
- Sex Tourism in Jamaica. (2009).
- Women’s Sex Tourism. (2007).