'I want my son to have a sex assistant'

[The Straight Story]

The mother of a disabled young man in Italy said in an interview on Wednesday that she would like her son to have a ‘sex assistant’.

Giorgio is 27 and suffers from Williams syndrome, a rare mental impairment disorder.

His mother, Patrizia, said in a video posted on Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano that “nobody thinks that a disabled person needs sex. But if we have educators, physiotherapists and speech therapists, disabled people should also be able to have a trained person to help them sexually.”

Patrizia said she considered finding a prostitute for her son. “I know it sounds crazy…but you have to solve it. I was moved by the thought of Giorgio having contact with someone of the opposite sex, but at the same time the idea of paying someone for it scared me.”

The taboo subject is the focus of a campaign in Italy by Max Ulivieri, a disabled web designer, to regulate the profession of a sexual assistant in Italy.

It was also a matter of heated debate in France earlier this year, after the National Consultative Ethics Committee rejected the idea, saying it saw too great a risk of abuse.

http://www.thelocal.it/20130606/i-want-my-son-to-have-a-sex-assistant

[hlthe2b]

1. This has to be one of the most difficullt areas for those caring for the severely mentally disabled

(and physically disabled). One hardly wants to make them subject to sexual exploitation or assault, but acknowledging their own need or desire for sexual release is obviously a very tricky area.

I'd imagine it has engendered considerable heated debate.

[Agnosticsherbet]

2. If we can agree that sex is a legitimate physiological and psychological need...

then seeing a Sex Therapist or a Sex Assistant should be no different than getting physical therapy for any other disability, injury, or psychological problem.

[Mnemosyne]

3. A recent movie, The Sessions, with Helen Hunt, addressed this issue beautifully. nt

[backscatter712]

4. It's a difficult thing, but yes, I believe there's a legitimate need for sex therapists. n/t

[Poll_Blind]

5. What right do ANY of us have to deny another human being this natural act?

PB