 Some of the women who perform in pornography vigorously reject the claim that they are exploited. At least in their own case, they argue, the decision to become a porn star was a genuinely autonomous one (Gruen and Panichas 1997). They regard the claim that they are victims of exploitation as offensively patronizing and paternalistic, implying that pornography is not a worthwhile or valid career choice, and portraying the women who act in pornography as hapless dupes of patriarchy. In reality, female porn actors may be fully autonomous and intelligent citizens pursuing a perfectly valid and rewarding career of their own choosing. Banning pornography, they argue, would constitute unjustified, paternalistic interference with their right to pursue their career of choice (McElroy 1995). Of course, that the decision to pursue a career in pornography is a free and fulfilling one for some women does not show that it is necessarily a free and fulfilling choice for all or even most of the women who perform in pornography.