Should prostitution be legal in the U.S?

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

Yes for the many valid and logical reasons that I am sure that have already been stated.

If not legalized, then decriminalized.

 

[DBella]

b_f,
I don't see SB calling you 'scum'. What he said was: "Violating human rights so you can ***, that's selfish."

Mike (SB),
How is legal prostitution (ie. escort services) a "violation of human rights" when the girls do it voluntarily and there was no assault? Do you equate having sex where money is exchanged to be 'assault' when both parties do it willingly and neither the prostitute nor the 'john' was hurt?

 

[BRUTAL]

I don't get hurt.

 

[Kritish]

Our government is under the delusion that its job is to enforce morality upon the population. Prostitution has been legal for the majority of America's history; but the same holy rollers who got prohibition in place made prostitution illegal.

It doesn't matter how nasty or wrong you think it is, it's not our job to worry about it.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

b_f,
I don't see SB calling you 'scum'. What he said was: "Violating human rights so you can ***, that's selfish."

Mike (SB),
How is legal prostitution (ie. escort services) a "violation of human rights" when the girls do it voluntarily and there was no assault? Do you equate having sex where money is exchanged to be 'assault' when both parties do it willingly and neither the prostitute nor the 'john' was hurt?

You need to go back and read the argument from the beginning. Netherlands, Australia, Austria and every over industrialized nation who has legalized prostitution has seen a sharp rise in illegal prostitution. In fact, in every case, illegal prostitution became more prevelant than the legal, regulated prostitution industry. As a result more money had to go into prosecuting these clandestine organizations which used to make up a small fraction of the countries crime.

Because of this violations of women's rights, child and human trafficking, assault and rape all went up exponentially. That's why it's a human rights violation. Because by legalizing it, you create numerous problems that follow, and increase the crime rate as a result.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Our government is under the delusion that its job is to enforce morality upon the population. Prostitution has been legal for the majority of America's history; but the same holy rollers who got prohibition in place made prostitution illegal.

Prostitution wasn't a rosy "sunshine and farts" business when we made it illegal the first time around. In fact, a lot of the women involved in it were essentially slaves.

 

[Kritish]

Prostitution wasn't a rosy "sunshine and farts" business when we made it illegal the first time around. In fact, a lot of the women involved in it were essentially slaves.

You can be a slave in any industry. Places that prostitution is legal (like the Netherlands) make sure that they're prostitutes are there by their own will.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

You can be a slave in any industry. Places that prostitution is legal (like the Netherlands) make sure that they're prostitutes are there by their own will.

Oh really. The Government of the Netherlands disagrees with you...

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS – Trafficking within the country was also a problem. Of the 405 trafficking victims registered in 2004, 51 were living in the country at the time they were seduced into prostitution by so-called lover boys, primarily young Moroccan or Turkish men and boys. The victims were young, mostly immigrant women. In January the government set up the national expertise center for youth prostitution to collect figures, background information, and the best practices in fighting youth prostitution and lover boys. Various organizations and local governments initiated specific assistance and prevention programs for potential victims of "lover boys."
Most traffickers used threats of violence to the victim, or to the victim's family, to control their victims. Underage girls and young women of Moroccan and Turkish descent (mostly lover boy victims), underage asylum seekers, women with a dependent residence status (pseudo marriage), and women recruited in Africa were most vulnerable to becoming victims of trafficking.

Policemen in Amsterdam's infamous red light district were quoted by Dutch media Friday as saying, "We are in the midst of modern slavery." Due to the legalization of prostitution in the Netherlands in 2000, police are hampered in confronting the horrors that are characteristic of the sex trade.

Here is Europes Humans Rights Overview.
http://hrw.org/doc/?t=europe&c=nether

The Netherlands is a primary country of destination for victims of human trafficking. Many of these are led to believe by organized criminals that they are being offered work in hotels or restaurants or in child care and are forced into prostitution with the threat or actual use of violence. Estimates of the number of victims vary from 1000 to 7000 on a yearly basis.[8] The victims mainly originate from the Netherlands, Africa and Eastern Europe, particularly from the Balkans and the former Soviet Union. Most police investigations on human trafficking concern legal sex businesses. All sectors of prostitution are well represented in these investigations, but particularly the window brothels are overrepresented.[9][10]

Over the years there has been a significant increase of registered Dutch victims of human trafficking. In 2005 23% of the persons registered at the Dutch Foundation Against Trafficking in Women were Dutch citizens.[11]

In an effort to crack down on forced prostitution, a campaign [12] was launched in 2005 in magazines through posters put up around the red-light districts encouraging clients to report signs of coercion. The poster has an eyecatching silhouette of a spike-heeled prostitute with long hair leaning back, but on closer inspection another picture reveals a gun being held to the female's head. The caption reads "Have you seen the signals? Fear, bruises, no 'pleasure' in the job." It then goes on to offer a phone number which clients can call anonymously.

 

[blind_fury]

1,000 people are victims of sex slavery in the Netherlands?

You do realize this is less than 4% of the total sex worker population of the Netherlands???

80,000 people die from alcohol related accidents a year. What your solution to this? Make alcohol illegal?

How do we stop child pornography and bestiality videos? Make all porn illegal globally?

 

[S_H_F_4839]

I quote george carlin without the bad language on this issue.

Selling is legal, screwing is legal, why isn't selling screwing legal, I can't follow the logic either.

 

[LexCorp]

I quote george carlin without the bad language on this issue.

Selling is legal, screwing is legal, why isn't selling screwing legal, I can't follow the logic either.

I like that line....the logic is flawed. t:

 

[roach]

Most of the countries that have legalized prostitution are going towards illegalizing it.

 

[psychocheeseman]

Most of the countries that have legalized prostitution are going towards illegalizing it.

What are you basing that on dude? I'm over here in Australia and there's no way in hell we'd be stupid enough to try something like that.

Although i agree it is an industry that is open to abuse, i believe the onley way to curb such abuses is to regulate the industry. NOt just make it "illegal" and pretend it doesn't exist.

 

[bullets]

i dont see anyone over at the bunny ranch complaining

 

[roach]

What are you basing that on dude? I'm over here in Australia and there's no way in hell we'd be stupid enough to try something like that.

Although i agree it is an industry that is open to abuse, i believe the onley way to curb such abuses is to regulate the industry. NOt just make it "illegal" and pretend it doesn't exist.

I am basing it on the fact that I am a sailor in the US Navy and as such i am the prime market that prostitution tries to garner. Many countries that I have been to where it was once legal is now illegal...South Korea being one.

 

[zanos]

And as a result, that bill is preventing the incredible rise in sex crimes that would occur as a result of legalization. It's happened. in. every. case.

How are your tax dollars paying to prevent sex crimes in some hypothetical situation in which prostitution were legal? You're paying for police to bust in on naked chicks and their johns in their hotels and go undercover as prostitutes to catch guys in their cars and busting the occassional streetwalker. That is what happens a majority of the time. Afterwards their pimp will bail them out and they'll be right back on the street. Fighting prostitution is a joke. It's kind of spending millions upon millions of dollars to fight jaywalking.

 

[DBella]

Most of the countries that have legalized prostitution are going towards illegalizing it.

I am basing it on the fact that I am a sailor in the US Navy and as such i am the prime market that prostitution tries to garner. Many countries that I have been to where it was once legal is now illegal...South Korea being one.

You said "most" and "many" but that's only one (South Korea). Can you find a few more examples? Thanks.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

You said "most" and "many" but that's only one (South Korea). Can you find a few more examples? Thanks.

Syria, Netherlands and Amesterdam all have considered outlawing prostitution (Syria did if I recall).

Gov. Jim Gibbons of Nevada also said "if a bill banning the business crossed my desk, [I'd] sign it." on July 27, 2007.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Syria, Netherlands and Amesterdam all have considered outlawing prostitution (Syria did if I recall).

Gov. Jim Gibbons of Nevada also said "if a bill banning the business crossed my desk, [I'd] sign it." on July 27, 2007.

Amesterdam is in The Netherlands.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Amesterdam is in The Netherlands.

Right, but the city itself has considered it (as opposed to the whole country - which has as well).

 

[DBella]

Why are they just 'considering' it and not just... do it?

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Why are they just 'considering' it and not just... do it?

Money. constituents, entrenched legislators. The usual.

However they have just taken the license away from 30 more Brothels this quarter (in Amesterdam I believe).

 

[psychocheeseman]

Sorry to bump this "hot potato" of a topic. But there's a new study in Australia giving weight to the idea that you're more likely to catch something from a girl you meet on the internet than a clean professional like we have over here.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22743199-2,00.html

30% of women online daters go the first date rubber free! compare that to the regulated profession where testing and rubbers are compulsory....hmm wonder which is safer?

 

[Kane52630]

Well it would help the economy...

 

[Aesop Rocks]

Yes because I'm getting tired of being lonely. :')