Earlier this week, the Governor made headlines by announcing a new initiative to finance $1 million in taxpayer dollars toward free health care for “sex workers.” This means an industry that is built on the backs of the abused and trafficked is given priority in New York state. But the focus isn’t on ways to prevent further harm and give aid to those who fall victim to the trap of prostitution. The focus is to make commodities of low-income individuals and those struggling to make ends meet.

Prostitution has been a complex subject for centuries. It is one of the oldest occupations, which challenges the moral values of the individual and society. Sex trafficking, or transporting women across state lines for the purpose of prostitution or any immoral purpose, was outlawed in the Mann Act of 1910.

Continuing in that direction, nearly all states passed anti-prostitution legislation by 1915. This legislation was created to protect public health and welfare (such as preventing the spread of STDs), protect minors who might become involved, either by force or of their own free will, put a wrench in organized crime and prevent the exploitation of women.

More recently progressives are rebranding prostitution into sex worker as an attempt to validate the lifestyle. Instead of using the million dollars to lift the individual from a degrading environment, the Governor is taking us three steps back in the fight against exploitation in the black-market industry. Free health care shouldn’t be advertised as a new perk of being a prostitute.

Debates could go back and forth arguing the benefits and value of prostitution. But the question always remains whether New York state should be taking the position of supporting an industry that continues to prey on the most vulnerable in our society. Should Gov. Hochul concern herself with providing health care for prostitutes, rather than working to give these young people the chance to leave the trap of prostitution for better life opportunities?

Where do we draw the line between individual choice and social well-being for those lucky enough to have the choice? New York has always been known to be the hub for opportunities and dream-making. It’s hypocritical to encourage exploitative business in the face of a labor storage. Moves like these further reduce growth opportunities for New Yorkers and signal to the world that a very dark and abusive enterprise is well supported on a governmental level.

The conversation about prostitution needs to be focused on addressing the root problems: poverty, lack of education and limited access to support, rather than normalization. We have residents struggling to afford and have better access to health care. Why is there a focus on prostitutes when affordability and health care affect everyone? This new initiative is the first steppingstone of an agenda that will ultimately reshape our morality and perversive tolerance.

There’s a pattern of poor policies being pushed through with negative consequences. This rush to transform New York into a progressive dystopia is causing law-abiding residents looking to build healthy, normal lives to pay the price. You see it with the gaps in Raise the Age and other progressive bills. Unfortunately, they fail to recognize that New York is home to bad people too. This state attracts people who notice these gaps in the misguided bills. They take full advantage.

It's easy to be disconnected from the evils of this lifestyle, but this is real. Our country is considered one of the worst human trafficking capitals in the world, with New York being in the top five worst states. These are not nameless faces that are afflicted by prostitution. They are mothers, brothers and sisters struggling to survive and falling prey to an industry built on degrading others. Simply, if Gov. Hochul and her progressive supporters truly wanted to uplift and support prostitutes, they would do more than write a blank check.