Secret Service Scandal Inspires The Five To Explore The Ethics Of Prostitution

To start off their first episode of the week, the hosts of The Five discussed the ongoing sex scandal facing Secret Service agents who allegedly hired prostitutes while on assignment in Columbia where sex work of that kind is legal. The conversation got much more interesting when it moved from the specific details of the case to the ethics of the oldest occupation in general.

The topic found a rare team up between Bob Beckel and Greg Gutfeld whose respective liberalism and libertarianism met in the defense of sex workers. Beckel argued against an attack on prostitution as an industry, decrying an assumption that all prostitutes are “bad people” as “terrible.” Kimberly Guilfoyle wasn’t having any of it, refusing to even accept Beckel’s assertion that studies show prostitutes in legalized areas can lead happy lives. Gutfeld defended him, clarifying Beckel’s argument that legalizing prostitution would actually be better to help the safety of the women in a profession that will never go away.

This brought up a good point from Dana Perino who asked how Gutfeld can be against porn but lenient on prostitution. Gutfeld explained the seeming conflict.

“I think pornography is bad for women because it destroys relationships. But [with] prostitution, these are adults. These are adults participating in a transaction. I can’t stop them. If they’re kids, that’s wrong.”

But Guilfoyle couldn’t believe that there were sex workers that enjoyed their work. She was so steadfast that it caused her to say one of the few nice things she’s ever said about President Obama. Closing the segment, she argued that the President deserves the best for his Secret Service, and these men failed him.

Watch the segment from Fox News below: