MasPan's food for thought (on Prostitution vs Pornography)

I think this can be argued both ways. On the surface, both porn and prostitution involve the direct exchange of sex for money, the only substantial difference being that porn is made for the benefit of a third party, rather than the john. Morally, I really don't think there's much of a difference. The chief difference is in safety. Prostitutes may not be clean, but the porn industry requires STD tests on everyone all the time, and before doing a movie the two about to pineapple exchange sheets that certify their clean bill of health.

I think the main defense of porn as NOT being prostitution is "artistic merit." I haven't looked into this too carefully, but as I recall, porn is defended in courts as a form of artistic expression, as are all other films. Some Hollywood films feature extremely objectionable content, and many contain pornographic content. Prostitution cannot in any way, shape or form be defended on such grounds.