should prostitution be legalized?

[commander bunnypants]

Client just got busted again. Seems silly for her to go to jail over it..:shrug:

CB

[Liberal Veteran]

1. Yes. It is an absurdity that prostitution is illegal.

As long as it's voluntary, I see no problem with prostitution.

It's absurd that one can give perform the act for free, but if you charge for it, it's a criminal offense.

[buckettgirl]

40. the sad thing is

go into a bar/club... how many men try and do pick up women by buying them a drink... in a way that is still prostitution - just because it isn't a monetary exchange for services doesn't mean that one isn't still receiving payment in some form...
it is an interesting idea to ponder.

Prostitution should be legal. If people want to fuck for money and pay to fuck, that is their business. I only hope that prostitutes could be treated better as far as having easier access to birth control/condoms/std testing and treatments.

[Ganja Ninja]

2. Legalize it, regulate it and tax it.

along with pot.

[Phillycat]

5. Agree 100%.

[mzmolly]

3. Tough question. I'd vote yes just to eliminate predatory pimps.

:hi:

[benburch]

7. In some places the cops ARE the pimps.

And they abuse the workers worse than any civilian pimp because there is nobody who will arrest them. In other places, the cops rape sexworkers with impunity.

The laws against sexwork corrupt the system.

[mzmolly]

12. I agree.

Though it's corrupt either way IMHO. Legalization is the lesser of evils.

[benburch]

4. Same topic from earlier today...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2847543

Also, I know a woman who served TEN YEARS in Texas for Prostitution charges! And they were making an example of her, so they put her in a medium security prison, too.

What was her REAL crime? She wouldn't help the GOP prosecutor sting friends of hers in return for a suspended sentence.

[Mark D]

6. Yes...

Prostitution is a combination of sex and free-enterprise. Too which of those concepts are people opposed???

[benburch]

8. 99% of the time the people who oppose legalization are prudes.

They might voice other reasons, but as you destroy each argument in turn it becomes clear that they are against sexual expression.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[benburch]

30. A total pervert.

I march in the Pride Parade whenever I am healthy enough.

And I never called you a prude - you might be in the 1% who are not prudes, and who think they are doing sexworkers some sort of perverse favor by making their trade illegal.

[frictionlessO]

9. to me its a no brainer, its safer for everyone if it is. nt

[Renew Deal]

21. You know there is still illegal prostitution in Nevada right?

All it does is take some of the criminals and low lives off the streets and puts them in whore houses when they actually belong in prison.

[frictionlessO]

29. Im well aware of that Bleachers, but your point is??

If you mean legalizing wont make anyone safer, I would ask you to understand the various and myriad reasons why people prostitute themselves. Your tone comes off as all sex workers are low lifes and cons... that is not at all openminded or openhearted and those are two qualities Ive seen you show...

excuse my confusion??

[Renew Deal]

36. I am open minded about it.

I've had 28 years to think about it so I have an opinion too. I am OK with some limited legalization. I also understand why women do it and it's not usually for good reasons. It can range from molestation at home to drug problems, to not being able to pay the bills to whatever. It's a dirty business and not because of the sex, but the repercussions to society (drugs, family problems, pimps, violence against women, amongst others). I don't know why I am the only one standing up for the protection of women when I get blasted for the dumbest jokes.

[frictionlessO]

44. hey Im not blasting you.. at all... and I think you represent valid points

in your arguments I mean I disagree with you because of my personal experience but thats alright. I really wanted to know where you were coming from with the "lowlife" aspect is all.

others can argue points with you much better than I ever could. Im extremely biased anyways.;-)

like I said I was just wanting to understand your point is all thank you for clarifying.

[Renew Deal]

56. I know you're not.

Like I said, I am amazed that I get blasted for making dumb jokes, but when others talk about women hooking, that's OK. I'm not sure if I ever used the word lowlife. I do feel that these women get to that position because of other personal problems.

[redqueen]

10. Not just yes, but HELL yes.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

11. The Bunny Ranch in Nevada seems to be working out fine

The girls are healthy and safe while making money. They pay taxes and are much more productive in society than street prostitutes. It's a win/win situation.

Yes, it should be legalized.

[benburch]

16. Have you ever known anybody who worked there?

I have. And folks who work across the way at Miss Kitty's, and folks from the old Mustang. Unless you are a star, you have a hard time coming out ahead working at a Nevada brothel! They charge you room and board, a fee for clean sheets between clients, fees for anything you want to have bought for you at a store (the law does not allow you to leave the house without leaving its employ), fees for your required condoms, etc... AND they take a percentage of each fee negotiated!

All in all it is like being in debt to the company store and living the company town.

The system is rigged against them.

We need not legalization with regulation, but decriminalization so there are no restrictions that force you into such situations.

[Renew Deal]

23. This has to be a joke.

"We need not legalization with regulation, but decriminalization so there are no restrictions that force you into such situations."

Where exactly should we be able to get these prostitutes? Over the phone? On the web? At the super market? Any street? How do you propose that we get them if it's not regulated?

[benburch]

27. The same way you get a lawyer, a painter, or any other service worker.

They advertise. You call them, and they come to you, or you go to their place of business.

Sexwork is just another job. It is employment. It is employment that many people choose for themselves even when they have other choices.

Get to know some sexworkers, and maybe they will become human beings with the right to freedom in your mind.

[Renew Deal]

34. I live in NY.

So there aren't any true legal "sex workers." There are strippers and bachelor party chocks that have a lot of fun with vibrators, but other than that, there aren't any legal sex workers. I treat everyone nicely. I am sure that they are human beings, but that doesn't mean that they should be allowed to sell sex for anything. Do it for free. It's more fun anyway.

[benburch]

41. Nonresponsive answer.

Motion to strike. :-)

[Renew Deal]

57. It's perfectly responsive.

But I guess you can't argue with common sense.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

33. The bunny ranch comment was tongue in cheek.

It's just another form of pimping in my eyes. If it were really legal things like that would not be allowed to happen.


On edit: I just read my first post again and see that it didn't have the flavor I had intended.

I was posting a comment I saw the owner make once in an interview. He is a major scum bag, Dennis Huff or something like that was his name. I had intended to put according to <insert Bunny Ranch owners name here> then the comment. When I realized I didn't recall it I left that part out.

[benburch]

43. Dennis Hoff

And yes, he is a piece of work.

At one time he actually employed John Wayne Bobbit as a driver... Which shows you the sort of company he keeps.

[eaprez]

13. yeah....then perhaps women would stop giving it away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LibDemAlways]

14. It's already legal.....

and it's known as the "Mainstream Media."

[Renew Deal]

15. No

It's a black eye on society. I am willing to accept some Nevada style regulation, but it shouldn't be very available. Nevada is close enough.

[benburch]

17. No, the black eye on society is that we think we own peoples sexuality.

How dare we attempt to control that with state coercion and imprisonment?

[Renew Deal]

20. It has nothing to do with someone's sexuality.

Screw anyone you want. I don't care. I care about people selling themselves for it. And believe me, I know dating is pretty much prostitution.

We are not trying to control people's sexuality through the state (at least in this case), we are trying to control criminals in our cities and towns.

[benburch]

22. No, it is about sexuality.

Do I have the right to consent to sex with any other adult for any reason?

If not, then you control my sexuality.

If so, then you cannot prohibit prostitution.

Get your damned filthy laws off my genitals.

[Renew Deal]

31. No, you don't have a right to consent to sex for any reason.

You don't have a right to have sex for drugs or money in some places. Nor should you have that right. I don't have a problem with limited legalization (Nevada style), but I don't want it in my state.

If you feel it controls your sexuality then too bad. No one said you can't have sex with people or animals or whatever. I'm just saying that prostitution should be illegal on the whole.

Filthy laws off your genitals? ha. I bet your genitals are filthier than your laws.

[benburch]

37. I think you need to educate yourself on this topic.

May I recommend a book?

"Sex Work", edited by my friend Priscilla Alexander. And before you ask, Priscilla was never a sexworker. She arrived at her opinions from a consideration of feminism and human rights.

[frictionlessO]

48. Oh wow!! Priscilla Alexander is your friend??

that is soooo cool!! Tell her very big warm hellos from a fan!

[benburch]

52. Yes!

My very elderly friend now.

But she still roams the streets of NYC with condoms and clean needles for FROST'D.

[Renew Deal]

59. You need to educate yourself too

This site actually supports legalizing prostitution. This is the current state: "These women are either lured into the industry by drugs or they turn to drugs as a means to cope with their hellish lives (David, n.d.). Most lower strata prostitutes exist within economically static careers. They contribute large portions of their revenue to pimps or drugs, making their condition inescapable."

http://www.liberator.net/articles/prostitution.html

I believe that the situation will not change for women even if it is legal and it breeds corruption anyway. I would not use the same argument for legalizing weed.

[buckettgirl]

45. If you don't agree with prostitution, don't buy one or be one.

What is wrong with you?
Sex is a natural human act.
It should be allowed to be practiced, unrestricted, by consenting adults - for a fee or for free.

IF you don't like it, don't do it. Do you and others need to have laws in place so they won't be tempted or what?

Apparently people are too stupid to make decisions for themselves - just because you think prostitution is wrong doesn't mean that it should be illegal.

[Renew Deal]

61. Would you want your mother, sister, someone else to be a hooker?

And would it be OK if you, your father, brother visited one?

What is wrong with you?
Do you want to denigrate and abuse women intentionally?

Sex should be allowed for consenting adults for free or other reasons, but not profit.

It has nothing to do with me being tempted. It's about the kind of country that I want to live in. I don't want to live in a place where the abuse of women is accepted. You don't mind if women are abused. Everybody is different.

Are you an anarchist? If not, then your last argument doesn't hold up. And just because you think prostitution is right doesn't mean it should be legal.

[alexisfree]

18. YES!

once and for all....yes, will be good for the society to have it!!! more control on the girls health, protection for them, drugs, the guys can get an education how be good at sex...we can go on in on ....tax the services…that should be a mandate for the church as well…

[Downtown Hound]

19. Let's see

It's legal to pay a woman for a strip tease. it's legal to pay her for a lapdance. It's legal to pay to to do just about anything except intercourse. Seems kind of stupid if you ask me.

[alexisfree]

24. I know....

bizarro world :crazy:

[Nikia]

26. With the ecomnomy going downhill, I am going to have to say no

Especially. It's about being desperate and feeling like one doesn't have any choice in order to make a living wage. It's about going out everyday and being used by whoever will pay. Yes, there is consent, but it isn't really much of a choice.
Am I a prude? My husband would disagree on that.
Am I imposing my personal feelings into this? Yes, I am.

[benburch]

32. Would you rather they starve, then? That's tough love indeed. nt

[Renew Deal]

35. It's not an either or choice.

They can get another job in another profession. They don't have to starve. And if they can't get another job, that's something they need to deal with including starvation.

[benburch]

38. Why do you hate them so? nt

[Renew Deal]

64. Why do you want to abuse women?

Is it some sort of sick pleasure? Do you like seeing violence and mistreatment of women? Why do you hate them so?

[tjdee]

47. Why blame the workers and not the johns?

If I could make 3 grand a week so that I had time to stay home with my kid, I sure as hell would. I personally could never work in the sex industry, but sometimes I feel like kicking myself for it.
(Plus, I'm sure they wouldn't take me!)

What needs to happen is that people need to make legal work more attractive. Why in the world would a young woman choose to work at McDonald's and clean grease pans for 8 hours at $40 a day when she could strip for half as long and make more than ten times that?

Come on.

And also, they can get another job, but those places aren't hurting for customers. And the customers aren't nearly as villified as the girls.

[Nikia]

50. I would personally prefer the Swedish version

It's illegal to be a john, not illegal to abe a prostitute.

[Renew Deal]

65. I blame everyone.

You have to go after both, the johns and the ho's.

[buckettgirl]

49. But many working Americans do that anyway

It doesn't have to be sex to be "used" by whoever will pay. People go to work everyday to jobs that they are demanded to perform to a certain standard and for much less pay than they are worth. I think that is the equivalent to being used. People take these jobs because it pays, even if they are worthy of something better, they consent but don't have much of a choice because they need money now and can't hold out for anything better.

Your comments certainly are not restricted to prostitutes.

[Nikia]

51. But it is healthy to enjoy sex

I am not saying that some prostitutes might not enjoy sex. If your job is to have sex many times per day, mostly with people who you would choose not to have sex with on your own free will, you mught start to not to like sex. Some cooks or cleaners really might to start to hate cooking or cleaning, since they have to do it so often, not on their own terms. People wouldn't say they are pathological though.

[donheld]

28. Yes it should be legal

It's insane that police waste so much time on that.

[buddhamama]

39. yes. legalize it and regulate it.

safer for all involved.

[Cerridwen]

42. Yes - and let's remove the stigma attached to it while we're at it.

That should only take several hundreds of thousands of hours of education and several generations. *sigh*

[Politicub]

46. What I don't understand is

how prostitution can be against the law, while people who are paid to have sex while it is being filmed for a porno is just fine and dandy.

What's the big difference? Money is being exchanged for sex.

[benburch]

54. Only in California is it legal

And that legality is based on an interpretation of CA constitutional law by the CA Supreme Court.

Elsewhere it is legally prostitution.

[Politicub]

55. Wow

Didn't know that.

[Guy Fawkes]

53. Tax it and put the money into Sex-Ed...

help teenagers avoid STDs and pregnancy.

[Placebo]

58. Yes. WAIT...No. Well............Yesno.

[Wapsie B]

60. Yes it should.

Legalize it, regulate it and tax it. Look at it this way, it's one way to suck money outa some of those self-righteous right-wingers. Plus it would free up cops to catch REAL criminals. Don't criminalize someone having sex, even if there's a monetary transaction involved.

[Must_B_Free]

62. I say no because

I feel that it legitimizes sex for pay.

I am for sex as a magic ritual, not a commodity.

Ideally, we should all have more respect for ourselves.

[guitar man]

63. hell yes

it is going to go on no matter what the govt tries to do about it, might as well make it legal and stop wasting valuable resources trying to stop it.

Bob knows.

---------------------------------------------------------------------



Here comes old rosie she’s looking mighty fine
Here comes hot nancy she’s steppin’ right on time
There go the street lights bringin on the night
Here come the men faces hidden from the light
All through the shadows they come and they go
With only one thing in common
They got the fire down below

Here comes the rich man in his big long limousine
Here comes the poor man all you got to have is green
Here comes the banker and the lawyer and the cop
One thing for certain it ain’t never gonna stop
When it all gets too heavy
That’s when they come and go
With only one thing in common
They got the fire down below

It happens out in vegas happens in moline
On the blue blood streets of boston
Up in berkeley and out in queens
And it went on yesterday and it’s going on tonight
Somewhere there’s somebody ain’t treatin’ somebody right

And he’s looking out for rosie and she’s looking mighty fine
And he’s walking the streets for nancy
And he’ll find her everytime
When the street light flicker bringing on the night
Well they’ll be slipping into darkness slipping out of sight
All through the midnight
Watch ’em come and watch ’em go
With only one thing in common
They got the fire down below

[miss_kitty]

66. Yes.

I think the Dutch model and the Nevada model proves legalised prostitution works. Woman are going to offer it for sale; guys are going to buy it. Been going on for millenia.

[Champ]

67. I don't like it...

but I find it silly they set up sting operations to bust them, I don't look at someone who wants money for sex as a criminal. It is something I'm not into and would likely talk a friend out of doing it if the contemplate it, but it isn't something I look at to throw people in jail for. It would probaly be better if it is legalized and regulated like from what I've read about the Bunny-something ranch in Nevada.

[norml]

68. Prostitution should absolutely be legalized!

Or at least it should decriminalized as much as possible.

[roguevalley]

69. It should be legalized ONLY if YOU can feel its OKAY and a

CAREER if YOUR daughter, mother, sister, brother was one. I have nothing but contempt for people who feels its okay as long as the hooker isn't their family member.

[Skittles]

71. that would include every john

nt

[Skittles]

70. yes

it's a business transaction between two consenting adults. It's sleazy and disgusting beyond belief but I don't believe it should be illegal.