Should Prostitution be Legal?

Absolutely. Legalizing it would vastly improve the healthcare available to prostitutes, make the engagement much safer for both the prostitute and the John, and most of all give some dignity and respect back to women that choose that career.

 

Interesting articles. She didn't deserve to get killed over the matter, but I think the client responded in anger beyond his control at that point, and I think he fired with the intention to scare them but it was too late. It's too bad that the pimp didn't get killed too because they both planned that shit. People need to learn not to fuck anybody over, no matter if it's a legal or illegal transaction, just don't fuck anyone over, and you'll live see another day.

 

Oh, by the way, I'm for legalizing it with all the regulations that were previously mentioned in various threads to the discussion. No pimps though!

 

No I don't think it should be legal. The fight to battle human trafficking and the exploitation of women and children will be made much more difficult by legalizing prostitution. This is borne out in nations where it is legal.

Its also a myth to think you can make it safe for consumers too. Many STDs including HIV dont produce positive test results for weeks. During the time between infection and a positive test everyone who thinks they're safe will be exposed.

 

Many good points in this thread...

Wonder what a sex worker or prostitute thinks about the topic, what are her or his views?

 

Good topic. I am really on the fence in this one. But,If I fall off I would to legalize it. People are going to engage in fucking with or without prostitution. In a persons lifetime they will have many sexual encounters and will swap, trade and move on other people to have sex with. As a senior couple we believe sex is healthy. Maybe it needs to be privatized. Keep the government out of it. They screw up everything they touch. Public safety is one thing, but personal safety is well personal and you know to consequences. Unfortunately, there are those that want the government to be responsible for sex too.

 

Well the nations where it is legal and controlled and checked could make human trafficking from countries where the exploitation is rampant illegal and stop that shit all together. The exploitation starts in those countries, western countries that have legalized it just make it possible to profit from it a lot by letting those women work here.
If such a law would cause a sudden shortage of prostitutes in the legalized western countries because women here generally aren't poor and desperate enough to choose that line of work it only makes it more apparent most women do not become prostitutes because its such a fun or rewarding job

So, legalisation seems a good thing. But also keeping it legal to import women from places where there are no good laws and checks for making sure its all voluntarily and with the right intent seems a bad thing. Most prostitutes in the Netherlands come from east european countries, and many are still exploited by pimplike figures and traffickers. You can't depend on the 'customers' as most care too little as long as they can have sex with a hot woman for less than €50... So it has to be made legal so laws can be properly enforced.

 

Trafficking is already illegal and enforced. The problem is US demand for sex slaves. I think the inability to effectively test the prostirutes does represent a significant public health risk that'll end up being paid for by universal health care

 

What do you mean with this exactly? That a lot of the men who go to prostitutes demand illegal practices?

 

The demand for prostitutes creates in large part the demand for human trafficking

Plus you can't ignore the public health risks

 

There's no making it safe for the John. Contagious infectious don't produce positive tests for weeks to months

 

And do you know where these women mainly come from? If its already illegal for them to work as a prostitute in the US and there are still a lot of them working in prostitution the problem seems that it is not properly enforced. The problem is not that it is legal, as things would not be better when its completely illegal and in the hands of criminals. It's not like prostitution goes away when its illegal.

 

The demand for poor, desperate and vulnerable women (the potential sex slaves) creates the demand for human trafficking.
Legalized prostitution is not about sex slaves.

 

We can disagree on the notion that more prostitution would create more opportunity for trafficking

 

Do you think legalizing prostitution will affect the number of people offering and receiving services?

 

On balance - yes

 

The question to ask is: "What conclusions have countries which have legalised prostitution drawn from the experience?"

If legalisation is to be considered, then step one is to investigate the pros and cons and deterining wherther, on balance, legalising prostitution will be better public policy than leaving well enough alone

 

It all depends on the details. If you legalize prostitution with good and sensible rules for the sex workers and properly enforce the rules against illegal sex workers the opportunity will go down.
But drumminmamas' comment made me wonder: is there a legalized form of prostitution in your country? In mine there is.

It depends on how it is legalized exactly and of course how good it is enforced. If properly enforced and all the women who shouldn't be in the business in the first place are all kept out there will of course be less people offering. If laws and rules keep the business a worthy practice for all people in it others might join in.
Like I said, it seems to me the majority of men making use of the service of prostitution don't care enough about the prostitute's wellbeing, I don't see people making less use of prostitutes as long as they're available. But I don't want prostitution to be unavailable to them. I want it to be void of abuse, or as close as we as a society can get to that.

 

So that part seems to be a difference of opinion

How about the public health issue?