#1241 Jessica Flanigan: The Ethics of Sex Work
RECORDED ON JANUARY 5th 2026.
Dr. Jessica Flanigan is the Richard L. Morrill Chair in Ethics and Democratic Values at the University of Richmond, where she teaches Leadership Ethics, Ethical Decision Making in Healthcare, and Critical Thinking. Her research addresses the ethics of public policy, medicine, and business. She is the author of several books, including Debating Sex Work (together with Lori Watson), where she defends the decriminalization of sex work.
In this episode, we talk about the ethics of sex work. We discuss a feminist approach to sex work. We go through arguments used by people who position themselves against sex work, including the choice argument, the exploitation argument, and the objectification argument. We talk about the stigmatization of sex work. Then, we get into legal approaches to sex work, and discuss whether the possibility of selling and buying sex should be a matter of rights, the Nordic model versus decriminalization, and how to fight trafficking.
Time Links:
Intro
A feminist approach to sex work
Is sex work a choice?
The stigmatization of sex work
Exploitation
Objectification
Is the possibility of selling and buying sex a matter of rights?
Legal approaches: the Nordic model versus decriminalization
The issue of trafficking
Follow Dr. Flanigan’s work!
Follow Dr. Flanigan’s work:
Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/yeu7zww2
Website: https://tinyurl.com/22j6a3s2
PhilPeople profile: https://tinyurl.com/5ac5dnd2
Debating Sex Work: https://tinyurl.com/ynvy5476