November 30, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
A Chilean prostitute’s donation of about $4,000 — raised by auctioning off her professional services — for a charity that assists needy children has raised questions about whether such a gift should be rejected.
Prostitution is legal in Chile, but the intended recipient, the Teleton charity, probably should think twice before accepting Maria Carolina’s gift, writes Emil Steiner, author of The Washington Post’s OFF/Beat blog.
“Carolina points out that ‘there are people who are going to be
donating money that’s a lot more questionable than mine’ — they just don’t publicize it. That’s difficult to prove or disprove. But is Teleton accepting money from a source antithetical to its mission?” he writes.
It is unclear whether Teleton will take the money. Agence Francaise de Presse reported that the administrator of Teleton, Mario Kreutzberger, a Chilean television broadcaster, said Wednesday he will reject the money. However, Reuters reported on the same day that Mr. Kreutzberger did not want to encourage “immoral” behavior, but would reluctantly accept the contribution.
What do you think? Should Teleton take the Ms. Carolina’s gift? Click on the comments link below this post to share your thoughts.
