Should prostitution be legalized?

[egroen]

Good point, sparc872...

Women arrested for sex crimes now have that stygma on their record, making a job outside of prostitution very difficult to get.

-Erin

 

[sparc872]

City High - What would you do?

[FONT=verdana, times new roman][SIZE=-0]Boys and girls wanna hear a true story
Saturday night was at this real wild party
They had the liquor overflowin' the cup
About five or six strippers tryin' to work for a buck
And I took one girl outside wit' me
Her name was Loni
She went to Junior High wit' me
I said, why you up in there dancin' for cash?
I guess a whole lots changed since I seen you last
She said

Chorus:
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone on the bedroom floor cuz he's hungry
And the only way to feed him is ta
Sleep wit' a man for a little bit of money
And his daddy's gone
So we're smokin' rock now
In and out of lock down
I ain't gotta job now
So for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life

Girl, you ain't the only one wit' a baby
That's no excuse to be livin' all crazy
Then she looked me right square in the eye
And said, everyday I wake up hopin' to die
She said, n**** I know about pain cuz
Me and my sista ran away
So my daddy couldn't rape us
Before I was a teenager
I done been through more sh**
You can't even relate ta

Repeat Chorus

(Then she said, what would you do if)
Get up on my feet and let go of every excuse
(What would you do)
Cuz I wouldn't want my baby to go through what I went through
(C'mon, what would you do)
Get up on my feet, stop makin tired excuses
(What would you do)
Girl I know if my mother can do it, baby you can do it

Repeat Chorus

What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone on the bedroom floor cuz he's hungry
And the only way to feed him is to
Sleep wit' a man for a little bit of money
And his daddy's gone
So we're smokin rock now
In and out of lock down
I ain't gotta job now
So for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life, c'mon

Repeat Chorus [/SIZE][/FONT]



Just heard this song a bit ago and thought it applied extremely well to this thread

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Legalizing prostitution would provide women who choose to have sex for money a legal means to protect themselves and it would allow them a chance to move beyond their current position. Whether the person makes a conscious decision to become a prostitute or not is a very important factor in determining the harm done to someone in the prostitution industry however. Many people who go into the industry are forced there due to circumstances decided for them prior to their birth. They are born into a situation where prostitution is the only means to survival and I am sure that, if given a chance to survive without prostitution, many of them would jump at it. The harm done to some prostitutes is something that they should be protected against, but if the woman openly decides to become a prostitute, then I see no reason why she should be prevented from having sex for money provided it occurs in a safe manner.

I have switched my view and now feel that prostitution should be legalized, but not without a major effort to help prostitutes who want to get out of their current setting. Allowing them to continue to live in an impovershed setting does nothing to correct the problem while a social program to help them make a living they actually want would make bounds in fixing the situation.

Given that it is possible to help these women and men out of poverty via other means it seems that your argument is rather weak. Money and effort seems better spent on welfare, education, and work programs.

 

[egroen]

Money and effort seems better spent on welfare, education, and work programs....

... And more prisons to house these 'criminals'?

-Erin

 

[BUDDY]

Legalise and regulate? That makes absolutely no sense to me and is laughable. What makes you think that someone who is now participating in an illegal activity, is going to suddenly follow the law, register, pay fees, or whatever, if pristitution is suddenly made legal? Doesn't it make more sense that they will continue to break the law, since they have been anyway? So now, instead of arresting them for prostitution, you will arrest them prostitution without a license. Wow, that is a great improvement.

 

[egroen]

That makes absolutely no sense to me and is laughable.

Buddy, while you are giggling hysterically like a little school girl, it is actually being applied in Nevada, in many European countries and contemplated in Canada... and it is working. There's a whole world out there; check it out sometime!

-Erin

 

[BUDDY]

Buddy, while you are giggling hysterically like a little school girl, it is actually being applied in Nevada, in many European countries and contemplated in Canada... and it is working. There's a whole world out there; check it out sometime!

-Erin

I hope that the MODs see this and act accordingly. Lord knows I have been chastised for less.

And people are still breaking the regulatory laws, STD's are still a growing problem (especially AIDS), and the trade is attracting other forms of crime. Please don't try to tell me what I know, where I've been, or how ignorant I am. I have my opinion, you have a yours, so stop being nasty about it and give an argument rather than accusatory statements about my familiarity concerning the subject.

 

[egroen]

I apologize for assaulting your delicate sensibilities, dear... and accept whatever chastisement I get for my malicious personal attack.

But if you do care to read a little more of the thread (and the other) you will see many of the issues you raise have been expounded upon.

-Erin

 

[BUDDY]

I apologize for assaulting your delicate sensibilities, dear... and accept whatever chastisement I get for my malicious personal attack.

But if you do care to read a little more of the thread (and the other) you will see many of the issues you raise have been expounded upon.

-Erin

My sensabilities have nothing to do with following the rules of the forum. When you are here longer than a month, maybe you will understand that.

 

[Flappycat]

Oh, dear. Another simple profession you have to attend four years of college to be licensed for. Hold on while I shoot myself. Prostitution isn't a major problem for society at large for the simple reason that so few people are interested in going to prostitutes for sex. However, tax evasion is a serious crime, not to be taken lightly. If these men and women are providing a product or service in exchange for money or objects/substances of value, then it is ludicrous to give them any motivation to avoid paying taxes on it. If these men and women aren't making any health code violations, I don't see sufficient reason for the government to intervene. However, it is up to individual communities how they tend to their property values. Forced labor and extortion, however, are also serious crimes, and, if anything of the sort is taking place, the government should intervene on the grounds of a threat to the welfare of a citizen. It is very reasonable to ask the government to protect us and our families from these things. More importantly, I think it's ludicrous to do anything to discourage prostitutes from reporting something of this nature; I'd give them a medal, personally.

 

[Fluffy]

Illegal prostitution means helping the abuse of children and women. Legalising it will take away this problem (along with others such as STI spread) whilst allowing people to enjoy the harmless service that prostitution provides.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Illegal prostitution means helping the abuse of children and women. Legalising it will take away this problem (along with others such as STI spread) whilst allowing people to enjoy the harmless service that prostitution provides.

Legal prostitution means sanctioning the abuse of women and children. Prostitution in itself is abuse, and even if it were legal, sex isn't going to ever gain much market value, and the lowest rejects of our society will be victimized by it.

One wonders if you know anything about legal prostitution in India and Russia. What perverse logic can lead you to the conclusion that prostitution is harmless? The most wretched people imaginable purchase it from the poorest and desperate people. :thud:

http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~dreveskr/prolinks.html-ssi

 

[mr.guy]

Prostitution in itself is abuse,

How so?

 

[angellous_evangellous]

How so?

In the best possible circumstance, it is the reduction of a human being to a mere object to be traded. On an ethical level it is no different than slavery - the person purchased is human chattel, a tool and not a person. The client is nothing more than an owner of another person.

The exploitation of the poor people who are normally prostitutes is absolutely heartwrenching.

It's better to make a heroic effort to help them with food and education rather than saction their despair.

 

[sparc872]

Given that it is possible to help these women and men out of poverty via other means it seems that your argument is rather weak. Money and effort seems better spent on welfare, education, and work programs.

I don't disagree with you that money should be spent on helping these people out of their current positions. I believe I even mentioned that somewhere else in my post. But to do that requires time, and during that time we are going to have countless people who will get caught in the trap of prostitution. I believe prostitution at its core is a bad thing but to let it go unchecked and regulated while these women are being abused and degraded is a terrible thing. If we make it legal and impose regulations, that will at least give these women a chance to come to the legal system with claims of abuse, it will get the bad people who are involved in other criminal acts out of the trade, and it will help these women during the period of time that we are spending money helping them out of their situation.

Let me ask you, is it better to spend money on law enforcement to throw these girls in prison for the illegal acts they are doing? Or is it better to make it legal, getting the pimps out and having all of that money spent on law enforcement going to ensuring that these women are safe in what they are doing and providing them an open relationship with the government so they will be more receptive to help?

 

[mr.guy]

In the best possible circumstance, it is the reduction of a human being to a mere object to be traded.

That's a very loose use of objectification, angellous.

On an ethical level it is no different than slavery - the person purchased is human chattel, a tool and not a person.

Plenty of valid and legal proffesions could be described thusly.

The client is nothing more than an owner of another person.

While slavery and prostitution can mix pretty easily, it isn't fair to now make them synonyms.

The exploitation of the poor people who are normally prostitutes is absolutely heartwrenching.

Exploitation can potentially be better addressed when the complainants CAN report grievences.

 

[Jaymes]

In the best possible circumstance, it is the reduction of a human being to a mere object to be traded. On an ethical level it is no different than slavery - the person purchased is human chattel, a tool and not a person.

Except they'd be paid, so it's pretty much completely different from slavery. In fact, one could almost say it's a job and not part of the slave trade with someone being paid and being able to quit any time they want. :sarcastic

On the note of "a tool and not a person", surely you don't believe construction workers and other people used for physical work are hired for their personality? What makes this somehow less disgusting than prostitution? After all, they're being used as a tool.

As for someone "owning" another person by buying their services, do you take the same view for massage therapists?

 

[angellous_evangellous]

That's a very loose use of objectification, angellous.

I don't see anything loose in the objectification of men and women. You buy objects, not people.

Plenty of valid and legal proffesions could be described thusly.

Name a profession that you pay for someone to offer their body for sexual acts. I can't think of any.

While slavery and prostitution can mix pretty easily, it isn't fair to now make them synonyms.

That's what it is. You pay for their body. For a time you own them. It is short term slavery.

Exploitation can potentially be better addressed when the complainants CAN report grievences.

Complaints can be reported in the current system.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

That's a very loose use of objectification, angellous.

I see it as comparable to the commodification of the human body as seen in arguments against the sale of human organs.

 

[sparc872]

Complaints can be reported in the current system.

Can they really? Are you telling me that a prostitute could go into the police station and say that she was abused while prostituting herself? That is like saying a drug dealer could go into the police and say someone stole his crack when he was trying to sell it to him. They'd lock him up in a heartbeat and I have no doubt they'd do the same for the prostitute. They are performing an illegal action and doing so basically nullifies their legal protection.