Sex benefits

What you are hearing is the sound of a million Libertarians screaming.

In Denmark, a disabled man has asked his local government to pay the extra cost incurred by having a prostitute visit him in his home. You see, due to his cerebral palsy, he can't exactly get out and go to the brothel. So the brothel must come to him, at additional expense.

In Denmark, local authorities compensate disabled people for extra costs incurred because of their disability.

"I want them to cover the extra expenses for the prostitutes to get here, because it's a lot more expensive getting them to come to my home rather than me going to a brothel," Mr Hansen told BBC World Service's Outlook programme.

"It's a necessity for me. I can't move very well, and it's impossible for me to go there."

I am not sure exactly how I feel about this. I am all for disabled people getting the attention they need, whenever they need it. I don't really have a problem with prostitution, as long as woman isn't forced into it. But having taxpayers pay the extra costs to have the prostitute come to him? That is a sticky issue.

Mr Hansen started seeing a prostitute after attending a course at a social centre.

There, he and other disabled people were taught that if they had needs, they "could do something about it".

"I had a strong desire to have sex, and I think I gained the confidence around that time to get the call girls to come to me.

"Since then I've had a lot of escort girls coming to see me - but I've also had girlfriends."

He had been with his last girlfriend for six months, but she died in 2003. After that, Mr Hansen began arranging for visits to begin again.

He also said there had been "much research" into people in his situation, and that it had showed that not being sexually fulfilled can lead to "frustration and aggression".

"It's unfair to deny people with disabilities the right to a sex life," he added.

To his credit, he isn't asking for the entire cost of the, erm, visit. Still, one wonders how much exactly the extra costs are. And even if local government did agree to pay the difference, how often would he be allowed this compensation? Every night? Every other night? Once a week? Once a month? Can open, worms everywhere.

The Danes are really going at it these days. First they have to compensate Santa Claus, now this. Perhaps there is something rotten in the state of Denmark.