Prostitution

Why not?

wow, loving these legislative discussions as i have NO law or poli sci education. As with the drug one, this gets a little tricky. And COME ON Moses, you can do a lot better than “why not?” i KNOW you can!!!

pros: if legalized, it can be regulated. you may rid the world of pimps, decrease the number of minors selling their bodies, reduce the spread of STD’s, and possibly even reduce some of the societal problems associated (including drug use, prostitutes getting killed/abused by Johns, etc.). Also the gov’t, instead of the mafia, gets to bring in that prostitution (luxury?) tax as well, which it could put into getting women off the street . . . . Finally some women love sex and hey - i’d love to get paid for it :smile:

cons: by legallizing prostitution, you legitimize it. Why is that a problem? Because of the fact that most women turn to prostitution for the wrong reasons. (forgive me this one . . . ) Many women turn to prostitution because there is “no other way” (as they perceive it). Gangs they ran with when they were 13 or 16 turn them into revenue sources, the women may do this to afford drugs and other nasty habits, or they got used to a life on the street due to a dysfunctional family etc. These issues must be addressed before we can legalize prostitution IMO. Also let’s address the heart of the issue (as i see it). Prostitution degrades women. It tells people that women are there to be bought and sold, that they are mere objects with which we can do just about anything we want for the right price. I wonder how connected the history of prostitution is with the massive history of crime against women, forced submissiveness, etc. just because of the image of women that prostitution creates. Finally (and this is the puritanical Victorian Christian in me) sex is a beautiful thing that should be enjoyed between two people that love each other, and that have a committed relationship. Although the gov’t has no place legislating it, I hate seeing the degradation of sex from a higher place in the world (expression of love, creation of life) to a commodity that may be bought and sold.

I am sure i have other points i can’t think of right now, but this might fuel a little discussion, i hope.

On 2002-06-13 22:03, yourbuttocks wrote:
Should it be legal?

yes…

here’s one from george carlin:

“I donm’t know why prostitution is illegal…sex is legal and selling is legal, so why isn’t selling sex legal? Thatis one thing I will never get!”

classic!

Legal. We buy and sell ourselves every other way, why not sex. There should be male and female legal prostitution. This would eliminate alot of degradation that occurs if there was even ground for both sexes. We all get jobs we later regret. If legalized it would be viewed similarly. Also, people wouldn’t feel trapped into it - quit! Government regulated and medically supervised, it could eliminate certain crime and cut back on VD. Why should law enforcement waste their time (and our money) chasing hookers???

There is the moral issue. If you don’t like it - don’t do it. If you love your spouse, don’t do it. Legalization doesn’t have to mean acceptance on that level. Alot of things that are legal can be bad for us : drinking, smoking, etc, etc. You still got to teach your kids right from wrong, what difference does it make if it’s legal or not?

[ This Message was edited by: field marshal on 2002-06-14 06:09 ]

i am 80% in accord with CC… but…

Most woman are not prostitutes because they like that… If it was the case i would’nt be against. But the fact is; if we legalize it, we could give them room, condom, so none of them are subject of violent behavior.

that was me…

Yeah, I could offer a proper response, so why not?

Anyways, legalizing prostitution in a lot like legalizing drugs in some ways. By prohibiting it, it is more of turning a blind eye to the subject matter. With prostitution prohibited, we can still pass reforms for effective screening. Adequate safeguards could be put up to test for STDs, condoms, other diseases, and background checks into “criminal behavior (if the user had a history of sexual violence).” That way, the user and the one that is used don’t run any complications. Contracts to license the deeds could signed if the women does get pregnant.

Meanwhile, the suffering of women who work as prostitutes continues, because they are liable for payoffs made on their behalf by pimps to the police; this means that they can never clear all their debts to the pimps. Furthermore, the scattering of prostitutes (closing of brothels) prevents widespread education about health and contagious diseases. This results in an increasing prevalence of AIDS, which is the most serious threat to human resources in the near future.

Now I find prostitution a horrible thing. It just degrade women, but I agree with the Field Marshall, there is the moral issue. If you don’t like it - don’t do it. If you love your spouse, don’t do it. Also, police often have little effect on prostitutes. In the red light district of Hollywood, prostitutes that I’ve seen arrested by the police are later seen back onto the streets to continue. As long as there is a market for sex (connecting this to Prohibition), then no amount of law enforcement will stop it. It is a huge, waste of resources.

Want to fight prostitution, do it by fighting poverty, often times the root of the problem, not the aftereffects.

If I were a younger man, I would write a history of human stupidity; and I would lie down on my back with my history for a pillow; and I would make a statue of myself, lying on my back, grinning horribly, thumbing my nose at You Know Who. - Bokonon

[ This Message was edited by: TG Moses VI on 2002-06-14 09:54 ]

Go ahead, legalize it. If someone wants to go screw people for money, that means someone wants to be screwed, leave it between those two, thats not a crime.

Isn’t capitalism great.
Oh no, I’ve likened this issue to the evils of capitalism. Heh heh.

plese don’t provok me. i’m not in the mood to explain my political affiliation.

quote: Want to fight prostitution, do it by fighting poverty, often times the root of the problem, not the aftereffects.

i love those upstream approaches.

Pay no attention to that, it was merely a subliminal message written to attract communist followers in hope to solve prostitution. :smile:

you damn commies!!!
couldn’t we at least pretend that a type of socialism might work as well? (please don’t reply to this g)

when a guy gets a limo, a nice tux, drinks, and pays for prom, how is that not prostitution if you get the desired end???

it is just more money….

Good one! :P Though, I’m way too cheap to afford all of that, even if it is a hot date and I am trying to get to the “desired end”

@TG:

Good one! :P Though, I’m way too cheap to afford all of that, even if it is a hot date and I am trying to get to the “desired end”

but the cheap way, eh?

If you mean by cheap – taking my date out the McDonalds and sneaking her into a drive in movie aboard the trunk of my FIAT (Italian car standing for “Fix it again Tom”) afterwards, I’m down with that. :wink:

I laughed out loud with that one! (i didn’t say lol because it lost all meaning)

Yeah, I was pretty sure you’d get a kick out of that. 8)