This week, Congress enacted and President Trump signed a law requiring the federal government to release files related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein. The political rhetoric surrounding Epstein has been intense for several years—and rightfully so. It demonstrates that collectively—as a Nation—we still have standards. His behavior is beyond the pale, and both sides of the political spectrum recognize that. His crimes and dark legacy are inconsistent with America’s values and principles.
Nevertheless, the atmosphere in Washington this week is intensely political, with both sides rushing to distance themselves from Epstein and associate their opponents with his evil. In cultural moments like this, it is important to not lose sight of key principles—starting with who Epstein was and what his crimes reveal about justice, human dignity, and the fight against trafficking.
Who was Jeffrey Epstein?
Jeffrey Epstein was a wealthy financial advisor whose clients included several multi-billionaires. He moved in elite circles and was exceedingly influential among business leaders, celebrities, and politicians on both sides of the aisle. Epstein trafficked women and children for sex. He was a serial rapist who arranged for others to commit sexual crimes. Many of his “clients” were wealthy. Many of his victims were children.
Decades of Injustice
Epstein was rich and powerful. For decades, he lived as though the law didn’t apply to him. He avoided accountability even after the nature and scale of his crimes became evident. Many believe that he dodged accountability because of his ability to blackmail powerful people. When official scrutiny finally focused on him, he hired the most expensive and accomplished attorneys to defend him. Unfortunately, these efforts worked. His wealth and influence seemed to make him untouchable.
The Courage of Survivors
The main reason Epstein finally faced justice was the survivors’ voices. Courageous women told the truth about what he did to them—often as children. This took tremendous bravery. Epstein had the power to harm their reputations and even threaten their safety.
Year after year, survivors were ignored. But they didn’t give up. As an attorney, I have had the privilege of getting to know some of these women. Their bravery, commitment to justice, and passion for helping other women is inspiring.
Because of them, Jeffrey Epstein was eventually brought to justice. They also have highlighted the horrors and prevalence of sex trafficking. The best way to honor their courage is to fight trafficking in all its forms.
Please pray for these women.
The ongoing focus on Epstein’s crimes and connections raises and extends the darkest chapter of their lives. Please pray that the Lord will protect them, encourage them, and give them hope.
America’s Legacy Is at Stake
The Declaration of Independence argues that it is “self-evident” that “all men are created equal.” As Christians, we know that everyone is created in God’s image. Genesis 1:26-27. We carry God’s stamp. Each of us has inherent dignity because we are made in God’s image.
The buying and selling of sex fails to recognize human dignity. Transactional sex has no place in the Judeo-Christian Tradition, nor within America’s founding principles.
America Leads the Fight Against Trafficking
The United States leads the world in fighting sex trafficking. In 2000, the United States took two significant actions to address human trafficking at home and abroad.
First, we helped draft and signed onto the United Nations Protocol on Trafficking in Persons, known as the Palermo Protocol. The Protocol recognizes that trafficking is a terrible crime frequently committed against women and children.
Second, Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPRA). This law calls trafficking “modern day slavery” and prohibits sex trafficking at the federal level. It recognizes that trafficking has many forms, but always involves force, fraud, or coercion.
The TVPRA also addresses the fact that trafficking is often lucrative. It holds those who facilitate trafficking accountable, not just “hands-on” traffickers. It creates accountability for those who knowingly profit from sex trafficking—even without direct involvement in exploitation. To take Epstein’s example, he was convicted of direct trafficking. But two of his banking institutions—JPMorgan Chase and Deutche Bank—paid hundreds of millions of dollars for knowingly benefiting from his trafficking activities.
The TVPRA is one of the most influential laws ever enacted for protecting human dignity. It recognizes that sex trafficking is closely associated with pornography and that the sex industry disproportionately preys on women and children. It requires the State Department to publish annual reports on progress toward abolishing trafficking worldwide, recognizing the unique harm of state-sponsored trafficking—where a government, by “policy or pattern,” engages in trafficking.
When our Nation calls on other countries to end state-sponsored trafficking, we take a clear stand for Justice consistent with our founding principles.
Tragically, we don’t always practice what we preach. We tolerate state-sponsored trafficking in Nevada, which profits from “legal prostitution,” and the buying and selling of people for sex is a regular feature of many urban areas. Arizona is no exception. One recent study ranked Phoenix third in the nation for active prostitution.
Buying Sex is Anti-Family and Anti-Society
Families are built on shared commitment and shared intimacy. Through family, children—the natural result of sexual intimacy—are offered stability today and hope for the future. How does a young person develop a vision for their own family? Often, by observation. Healthy, stable relationships inspire the next generation’s healthy, stable relationships.
The sex industry claims sex can be bought and sold without negative impact. That’s a lie. Our sexuality is closely connected with who we are. Sexual intimacy cannot be purchased because people cannot be purchased.
Epstein’s example is as anti-family and anti-community as it gets. Family empowers future generations. His approach to intimacy destroys the very concept of family. In his world, sex was always for sale. He brought toxicity and malignity to all his relationships—so much so that many who knew him now face disgrace.
Traffickers prey on young people. Studies show that more than half of prostituted women began selling sex as children. Young people without stable family structures are particularly at risk. 77% of confirmed child trafficking cases involved children from single-parent households, compared to just 18% in broader control groups. Furthermore, research on homeless and runaway minors shows that the absence of a stable family structure correlates with trafficking victimization in 88% of sex-trafficked cases.
Hope and Healing
Nothing is impossible for God. He is in the business of making all things new. Through the power of Jesus, there is hope and healing for anyone who has experienced brokenness—even sexual brokenness. The sacrificial death of Jesus shows the radical extent of God’s grace and mercy. There is always a way back to God. One promise from Psalm 103:12 is incredibly meaningful to me: “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” I remember the first time I realized this verse was talking about me—that because of Jesus, my sins no longer defined who I was; instead, I was defined by the righteousness of Jesus, who “loved me and gave himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20. What relief. What joy!
If you share my experience, if you believe in Jesus, you know what I am talking about. We know the love of Christ. We have “tasted and seen that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8. Friends, we have so much hope to offer a hurting world.
We share that hope when we act against hurt in our communities and our neighborhoods. The international consensus against trafficking is in harmony with Christianity—in fact, it wouldn’t exist without Christianity. Turning a blind eye is not an option for those who would follow the way of the Master and love their neighbor as themselves.
Responding to the Need
At Center for Arizona Policy, we are committed to ending sex trafficking in Arizona. Our primary strategy is to attack the demand for purchasing sex. Studies show as many as 10% of men will buy sex at some point in their lives. That number is too high. We will support policy that creates meaningful deterrence for those who would buy sex. When demand is removed, trafficking will be as well. We are also committed to supporting policy that recognizes and stands with survivors. Most prostituted people have only known extreme vulnerability since childhood. They have few options, lack support, and feel isolated—disconnected from community. Their traffickers control them by keeping them in that place. A just society recognizes the plight of trafficked persons, the trauma that they have endured, and stands ready to support them on the journey to healing.