Why is Prostitution Illegal?

[Woodsey]

The same reason why Child Labour is banned. Because it's immoral.

Woah, that's not quite the same thing.

In prostitution you're dealing with a consenting adult - most of the time. If prostitution were legalised then you'd scrub out a lot of the underage problem and the men/women involved would be better cared for.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

It encourages people to be unfaithful to their partners in marrital life, a function key to pretty much any modern society of the family. Particularly christian ones like America. The government see it as splitting the family unit and as such putting a big hole in what should be the social norm of a functioning society. It also spreads disease, your idea counters this il grant you, but lets be honest. Is EVERY SINGLE prostitute going to go and do all this stuff? Hell no. Are some going to continue pedling their "goods" in the same way they did previously? Hell yes.

Will there be price control on prostitution? Zones where it is acceptable? Age limit? A method of dealing with a rise in pregnancy among hookers?

How does prostitution encourage unfaithfulness anymore than a gold-digging home-wrecker does? Also, if someone can be so easily persuaded to unfaithfulness just by passing a brothel, then what are they doing in a relationship in the first place.

Also, as far as price control goes, I have to ask (because I honestly have no idea) is there any regulated price control on other services, like messages?
Also, it would make perfect sense to have certain zone restrictions and most -definitely- age limitations. Also, I would think that BC would be offered as a part of the benefits of working there, giving you a discount on the BC of the worker's choice. I would also think that there should be contracts in the event that a child is fathered, that if the worker does decide to keep it, they are not legally permitted to pursue the father for money. This should help deter a worker's desire to con a client into unknowingly fathering a child.

Fait play, theres a issue with your last statement though, if the woman cannot look to the father for support she will need some sort of welfare or system to deal with the child? Growing up with a hooker isnt the best of family environments without a fatehr figure of any kind. As far as prices go i think its on the basis that the consumer "gets what they pay for", better service means greater price, a fact that qill quickly assert itself should this system come into effect. The issue of unregistered prostitutes and STD's is also a factor, they could charge cheaper because they dont go through the hassle of the card. Again its a get what you pay for, you pay for teh security of teh ID but still it means the offer is still available.

 

[Bourne]

Because certain people view it as amoral, and as such, impose their beliefs on the rest of us. Prostitution is a victimless crime and as such should not be illegal.

 

[armaina]

Fait play, theres a issue with your last statement though, if the woman cannot look to the father for support she will need some sort of welfare or system to deal with the child? Growing up with a hooker isnt the best of family environments without a fatehr figure of any kind. As far as prices go i think its on the basis that the consumer "gets what they pay for", better service means greater price, a fact that qill quickly assert itself should this system come into effect. The issue of unregistered prostitutes and STD's is also a factor, they could charge cheaper because they dont go through the hassle of the card. Again its a get what you pay for, you pay for teh security of teh ID but still it means the offer is still available.

The funny thing about welfare is that you have to be in a certain money making bracket, and I think regulated prostitution would pay quite well. And for those that screw the system well... welfare has it's own issues that have nothing to do with prostitution being legal or illegal. So, the end factor is, unless the mom wants to raise a baby on her own, she will either need to make sure she takes proper contraceptive methods to make sure it doesn't happen, or be prepared to have early abortions. That is the nature of the job, and the women involved would need to be aware of that. It's still far better than the alternative.

PS: Single parents happen whether there's prostitution or not, don't think making it legal will somehow increase the number single mothers.

Also, there is always a 'black market' but keeping Prostitution Illegal does more harm than good.

 

[zhoominator]

Those are just some of the issues. I could go on all day, But ive got other stuff to do.

Most of the issues you mention are issues regarding involantary prostitution. This indeed should remain illegal, but I don't see why creating legal establishments that are well monitered and regulated by the government should make that issue any worse. In fact, if people know there are legal places to buy sex then they may not be as likely to find illegal ways of doing so, making the business less profitable for your aforementioned pimps.

They would be unlikely to set up such businesses in residential areas too so I don't think the point about people living nearby would be too much of a problem.

As for people asking non-prostitutes for sex, well, that could be a problem but perhaps they could create some kind of indicator common amoung all brothels so people know.

You seem to be under the impression that legalising prostitution means just saying to pimps "Okay, what your doing is now allowed". It wouldn't work like that. Underground selling of counterfeit cigs and certain beverages is still illegal but there are legal places where the products can be sold more safely.

 

[Robin_Lyon]

It isn't illegal in my country.

New Zealand.

 

[Jonluw]

Well here in Norway, being a prostitute is legal, but buying prostitutes and being a pimp(for lack of a better word) is illegal. This way, any prostitutes who are abused by customers can report them without fear of going to jail her/himself.

 

[Danzaivar]

Same reason homosexuality was illegal, because it's currently considered to be wrong and immoral and etc. Since the western world is gradually becoming more liberalised I can't imagine it staying illegal for much longer really.

 

[Phoenixlight]

Well it's because it's generally only females which are found in the area which is sexist and younger females can be taken advantage of or forced into it. If they can't find a job elsewhere they may take it up, no one should have to do something like that.

 

[Treblaine]

You have to have a license to be a prostitute, which requires a weekly STD test. Fail the test, lose your license.

Excuse me but that sounds all too similar to being given a "Russian Roulette" licence, you can keep playing the game but if they ever find you've blown your brains out they say "Whoa, hold on, lets not let this go too far"

IT'S KINDA LATE ONCE THEY ARE INFECTED!!!

A weekly STD test servers NO ONE except the men, it doesn't protect the women, simply as soon as they are infected they are thrown out; losing their "income" and battling a serious disease or infection. And then what? They resort to ILLEGAL prostitution! Have you any idea how insidiously STDs can spread?

No the problem with prostitution is not the selling part... it is the BUYING!

People don't hate those who for sell their bodies, but people can have utter contempt for men who pay to get sex and you'd be a fool if you can't understand why.

Prostitution is a hugely exploitative business, like the idea of legalising drugs it would require and extraordinary amount of bureaucracy to even approach a stable and protective system and in the process the government would take on a whole shit load of responsibilities no one would like. Like how do you deal with all the STD infected prostitutes you gave licences to, they complain to opposition politicians: "they used me, they didn't protect me now they've had my taxes and are throwing me away"

 

[Zephaniah]

2. Sex crime rates diminish because people no longer need to break the law for what they want.

So the people who commit rape, they throw money at the person it's committed against?
Sex crime rates would hardly diminish as there would still be people who don't want to pay for it and just take it like they do today.

I'm neither for nor against the legalisation of prostitution, there are some very good arguments in this thread for both sides, I just couldn't be arsed to read them all once I saw this =P

 

[NiallXoldham]

You know what is funny about all this. In New Zealand its actually legal to sell yourself on the streets, LEGAL. Only pimping is illegal, and if in a brothel the workers/walkers get protection, shelter, food and free STI checks

 

[Rakkana]

I'm glad it's one of those decisions I really have to make... I don't see a problem with the way things are going at the moment and to be honest I see more reasons not to make it legal then to do so.

There's a reason why the general view of the world is that it is wrong.

 

[Wintermoot]

probaly from some kind of moral standpoint I dont get
here in Holland prostitution is legal (although grugs are also legal)

 

[Lucifron]

The same reason why Child Labour is banned. Because it's immoral.

Then it is a nonsensical ban that caters to people whose childish sensibilities are hurt by the practice. Yeah, that's it.

This is not true for child labor, on the other hand, as you won't find a happy child at an assembly line, but a person who has chosen to get paid to take it up the ass may very well be happy.

 

[darkorion69]

Prostitution is illegal in the United States largely due to the activities of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, who campaigned to make it illegal in nearly every state between 1910-1915. This was a part of the Prohibition movement that claimed US men would be more productive and spiritually pure (sic. more Christian) if they did not indulge in pleasures of the flesh such as Prostitution and Alcohol. The concern was not STD's , as many other countries had introduced health regulations for registered prostitutes and taxes on their income in that regard already. The only concern shown by the US government (President Woodrow Wilson) in regards to Prostitution/STD's in the 1910's-1920's was speaking to the necessity of eliminating Prostitution near Military Bases during WW1.

Today Prostitution remains basically illegal in the US due to the negative stigma attached to sex workers, as well as pressure from Church (laregly Christian) Organizations. Prostitutes are not disease riddled, greedy, and soulless wallet succubi on their way to hell. Most Prostitutes are not, as depicted by Hollyywood, forced by evil pimps to do business against their will. The Pimp/Prostitute abuses stem largely from the criminalization of the Prostitution Industry in the US.

If we look at how Prohibition created rampant crime and how the government answered that by eventually legalizing and taxing Alcohol, we can see where Prostitution in the US will be going eventually. As our society becomes more Secular and less Religious we will legalize it and tax it. I am actually surprised that they did not make Prostitution legal when they repealed Prohibition. Perhaps they wanted to leave some consolation to the Temperance minded US citizenry?

 

[StrangerQ]

How to make prostitution legal

1st Let goverment support landlords who rent apartment buildings for prostitutes

2nd let prostitutes put up their own union thingy and force to have license to do your work in safeplace (look 1st)

3rd keep prices low enough that common have change to enjoy ( thus -tutes pay rent for landlord who pays a lot of taxes while having steady income)

4th when these -tutes have license that proves they are allowed and disease free and they work for themselves in not shady place you have no risk of funding organised crime...

So what you think

 

[Booze Zombie]

If prostitution was legal, it'd be great.
The people doing it wouldn't have to worry about doctors asking questions or pimps slapping them around and it could be legally taxed and work as part of the economy.

Though, my father tells me that around here, the prostitutes already get taxes taken off of them, it's just marked down as "side money" or some such.

 

[Denamic]

Arbitrary forced morals laws.
There really is no good reason.

 

[Soulreefer]

Hi, i'm from Amsterdam, and we havent degraded into an immoral cesspool just yet, so possibilities to do it (semi)right must exist i guess. Good luck trying!