Give women the dignity we deserve

Newsday had an investigative story on Dec. 14 on sex trafficking [“59 hotels on LI cited in charges,” News] and in the same Sunday paper a story on the refusal of the Roman Catholic Church to ordain women to the diaconate [“Awaiting Vatican OK for female deacons,” News]. I wonder if readers were struck, as I was, by the common thread linking the stories.

At the heart of both issues is the thought that women are believed to be inferior to men and therefore are treated without the human dignity that the Incarnation gave to all humans, male and female alike.

St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians states, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Shame on pimps and sex traffickers for abusing women, and shame on the Roman Catholic priesthood for contradicting the Word they preach.

— Pat McDonough, Long Beach

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s “safest county” campaign pitch could be advanced by adopting the original wording in Suffolk County’s motel regulations bill [“Sex trafficking bill falls short,” Editorial, Dec. 18]. Will any of our legislators make the proposal?

— Brian Kelly, Rockville Centre

Brothels should be legal for consenting adults in a “Red Zone” [“LI brothel manager gets 6 months in jail,” News, Dec. 19], with revenue allotted for the police and social programs using Amsterdam as a role model. Revenue for police would help make the Red Zone safe, and the revenue could be used for social programs to help veterans, seniors, homeless people, the hungry and those with disabilities. We could eliminate some poverty on Long Island.

But NIMBY — “not in my backyard” — would be an obstacle. So, perhaps a good location might be atop a landfill.

The Puritans landed over 400 years ago. It is time to reject their values. If this concept was adopted nationally, it just might improve society.

— Alan H. Cohn, Nesconset