in most places prostitution is legal, what is illegal is living off the proceeds, soliciting for the purposes of and one other that is escaping me

i think it should be made legal, that way it can be regulated and taxed and mean more money for the gov

Susan Arendt:
Regulate it, give the girls (or boys) health benefits, have ample security and require condoms for all customers, then tax the hell out of it. Then it's not only safe for everyone, it's a good source of income for the community. People are always going to pay for sex, that's just a fact of life. Seems far wiser to me to accept that fact and try to make it as safe and profitable as possible.

This exactly. I believe it should be legal as it is one of the oldest professions in the world, and this is one of the only ways to stem problems caused by illegal sex trafficking and women being forced into prostitution, by regulating it.

TomNook:

PedroSteckecilo:

rossatdi:
I think two conditions ought to be part of the regulation:

1) Monthly (is that too extreme) STD checks, and healthy insurance (supplied by the brothel or government or what have you, I'm British so we don't need it but it's a concern)

2) Condoms for all penetrative sex. Now that's a little graphic and I apologise but it's necessary. A prostitute should have legal grounds to demand a customer use one.

I think these are how the prostitution laws work in Amsterdamme.

Las Vegas has something like that system as well.

Prostitution is illegal in vegas, but not in nevada

WolfMage:
I say it should be legal one one, big condition.
It must be regulated. As in, a license to be a prostitute, no STDs allowed, regular checkups, and taxed.
Problem solved, now on to fixing the economy...

thats a fantastic idea. i think thats how porn is dealt with now.

zhoomout:

Cheesebob:
Prostitution should be legal, but like in Ohio ( I think ) It should be only legal in brothels and be recognised as an actual job, thus adding more income to the community.

And then it would dispose of the arguement that prostitutes don't add anything to society if they are taxed by the government.

I thought they did. Doesn't prostitution fall under "the pursuit of happiness?" LOL :)

I think if it were legalized it could be regulated more as now when it is done in an underground way the women are victimized and can't report their abusers lest they be arrested themselves. Personally I am opposed to abortion but I think if legalized and done with the proper precautions violence associated with it will decrease. I am still rather torn however because as I said I am opposed to abortion.

Even with STD screenings, the number of customers serviced in a "month" could be pretty high in terms of spreading diseases. Further, HIV does not start appearing in tests until 6-9 months after. HPV is not preventable even with condoms and is one of the leading causes of cervical cancer. So in terms of diseases, even monthly screenings is still pretty bad.

Now consider the following as a career path (encouraged by a "loving" father):
http://jezebel.com/384994/father-gives-daughter-bikini-waxes-rides-to-work-at-a-brothel
http://jezebel.com/5050544/dad-who-waxes-daughters-bikini-area-returns-to-tyra

PatientGrasshopper:
I think if it were legalized it could be regulated more as now when it is done in an underground way the women are victimized and can't report their abusers lest they be arrested themselves. Personally I am opposed to abortion but I think if legalized and done with the proper precautions violence associated with it will decrease. I am still rather torn however because as I said I am opposed to abortion.

Consider how much sex a prostitute has and how often contraceptives (including the pill) may fail in the course of their career. Then line that up with your feelings on abortion. It's not a pretty picture.

Further add substance abuse which is highly prevalent in prostitution circles not only because of its close associations with the mob, but also as an emotional crutch for many prostitutes.

No, and I'll tell you why. Despite all these claims of how the prostitutes should be checked for diseases and such, but have you ever considered customers having the diseases? Even if you checked them once a month you would still have that 29 day period in which people could give them a disease and then they could transmit it. There is no possible way, apart from testing every single person (Mind you it takes about a week to come up with results), before they could do it and this would have to happen EVERY time. I know all of you are all preaching how regulation of law would allow prostitution to be cleaner, but that thought is resting on technology to test that hasn't be invented yet.

Secondly, even with regulation certain places (If you live Cali and heard of the Dialysis(SP) location that was unclean and covered with blood,) would take steps around it and sexual contact is one of the easiest ways to contract a disease apart from direct blood injections. Do you really want to risk going into an unclean location just for a quick sex fix?

Thirdly, how fucking hard is it to find someone to have sex with for FREE? I mean I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I don't think it's too hard to find a slut (No offence to women, we have men like that too,) to hit it with. That chances of getting a disease would be the at least the same with taking your chances with a prostitute. If there are some people who can't spare the time for a relationship due to video games or other media forms then all I have to say is get a life you sad saps. (Coming from a guy who goes to the gym four days a week, holds a job, and goes to school AND games about four-six hours a day.)

WolfMage:
I say it should be legal one one, big condition.
It must be regulated. As in, a license to be a prostitute, no STDs allowed, regular checkups, and taxed.
Problem solved, now on to fixing the economy...

Or at the very least make it so you know what STD's you could get(both the hooker and the client knowing what they might catch). And, just because society is so full of retards, info on what these STDs do so we don't have a guy who got aids going "I didn't know I'd die" or a guy who got....something that's barely ever a minor annoyance afraid for his life because the only STDs they ever heard about were aids and herpes

2) Condoms for all penetrative sex. Now that's a little graphic and I apologise but it's necessary. A prostitute should have legal grounds to demand a customer use one.

What if the prostitute doesn't care, than should the client still be forced to wear a condom?

Despite all these claims of how the prostitutes should be checked for diseases and such, but have you ever considered customers having the diseases

Demand that customers are checked within a month of their visit to and sign a legal contract promising they haven't had sex since the check and if they're found lieing they lose an assload of money.

No, and I'll tell you why. Despite all these claims of how the prostitutes should be checked for diseases and such, but have you ever considered customers having the diseases? Even if you checked them once a month you would still have that 29 day period in which people could give them a disease and then they could transmit it. There is no possible way, apart from testing every single person (Mind you it takes about a week to come up with results), before they could do it and this would have to happen EVERY time. I know all of you are all preaching how regulation of law would allow prostitution to be cleaner, but that thought is resting on technology to test that hasn't be invented yet.

Secondly, even with regulation certain places (If you live Cali and heard of the Dialysis(SP) location that was unclean and covered with blood,) would take steps around it and sexual contact is one of the easiest ways to contract a disease apart from direct blood injections. Do you really want to risk going into an unclean location just for a quick sex fix?

Thirdly, how fucking hard is it to find someone to have sex with for FREE? I mean I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I don't think it's too hard to find a slut (No offence to women, we have men like that too,) to hit it with. That chances of getting a disease would be the at least the same with taking your chances with a prostitute. If there are some people who can't spare the time for a relationship due to video games or other media forms then all I have to say is get a life you sad saps. (Coming from a guy who goes to the gym four days a week, holds a job, and goes to school AND games about four-six hours a day.)

While those are good reasons not to go to a brothel, they are not good reasons on why not to legalize prostitution.

I appear to be part of the minority that doesn't believe prositution should be legal, in absolute terms. This is a somewhat sensitive issue, as I find it hard to stomach that so many women still (perhaps I'm misspeaking to say 'still'; women are far from equal) willingly sell sex as a service, even in light of perhaps not having more lucrative options. However, I also sympathize with the extent to which the illegality of prostitution places the women involved in a vulnerable position, and so I here I am: wanting to have my cake and eat it too.

That's not a valid arguement against it being legal. That's like saying gay porn should be illegal because it disgusts you. It disgusts me but I believe you have every right to look at it.

mike1921:
[Demand that customers are checked within a month of their visit to and sign a legal contract promising they haven't had sex since the check and if they're found lieing they lose an assload of money

I doubt anyone would be willing to sign a contract, much less have a credit card receipt at a brothel. Customers to sex shops usually prefer anonimity.

Further, PROVING that the person who gave the disease to the prostitute would be impossible. If Customer A had the disease and Customers B, C, and D were infected, how do you determine who is the true disease vector? No one would sign such a contract with such a wide avenue of being screwed (back).

So... Looking at an interview by Rita Cosby at the Bunny Ranch (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10003761/) it looks like they do weekly tests and insist on condom usage, even for oral sex.

But that's just the Bunny Ranch - the top tier of legal prostitutes. There are other institutions that are legal that operate with lower standards (especially those willing to pay for bareback services.)

As nice a sentiment it is for insisting that legalize prostitutes use only condoms, you can't enforce condom usage in brothels. How would you even check?

Further, not all diseases are 100% preventable with a condom. They still have a large enough failure rate and cannot prevent diseases that are spread skin-to-skin like HPV or Herpes.

I like how George Carlin did it.

"Selling is legal, fucking is legal; Why isn't selling fucking legal!?"

this whole debate has allways struck me as a PRIME example of people not being able to mind their own friggen business. if a consenting adult wants to sell sex to another consenting adult its no bodys business but theirs. period. the key being consenting. we allready have laws in place to deal with non consentual sex (rape) so making (or keeping it) legal is fine by me.

curlycrouton:

SuperFriendBFG:

Oh, well yeah that does make sense, you just made it sound like it would be the customer's fault.

Apologies if it did.

Wait, what's going on here? Why is rape suddenly not rape just because the perpetrator leaves some cash behind?

Well, in the lyrical musings of James Taylor "a prostitute is like any other woman, they all trade something for sex". That said, your bribing a woman for sex whenever you take her out on a date. How much do you spend taking a woman to the pictures, or out to diner, the payment in shelter, emotional reasurance? Saying payment with money is bad, but bribary with gifts and other non cash prizes is ok seems a bit off. Let it be legal, so long as there are health checks, and its taxable. It will boost moral amoungst the masses, and provide a good source of income for the state.

It shouldn't be illegal to sell something that you could legally give away.

Danglybits:
If porn is legal, then prostitution should be legal. Why is it okay to accept money for sex if there's a camera running, but if not then everyone involved goes to jail?

Because the people making porn aren't slaves.

Thats what the law would do, make the guy having sex with a slave guilty. Making it illegal to have sex for money is fine, but it will still happen. A better option is to regulate it so the goverment has more controle, thats going to need work to get right but its better than just locking everybody up.

Oh funny thing, if you're an aussie porn is illegal. Hardcore porn (sex) is banned in our states but the cops don't enforce it.

blueballer:
Well, in the lyrical musings of James Taylor "a prostitute is like any other woman, they all trade something for sex". That said, your bribing a woman for sex whenever you take her out on a date. How much do you spend taking a woman to the pictures, or out to diner, the payment in shelter, emotional reasurance? Saying payment with money is bad, but bribary with gifts and other non cash prizes is ok seems a bit off. Let it be legal, so long as there are health checks, and its taxable. It will boost moral amoungst the masses, and provide a good source of income for the state. For the person who says it is against the judeo-christian teachings, read your fucking history. In the pre-babylonian occupation period of Judaism, there were sacred prostitutes at the major temples (hunt.et al p.234). The Catholic church was all cool with hookers as it made dosh, and made people happy, until there was a moral crusade due to the Black death.

Actually, if you read the Bible, it condemns prostitution pretty emphatically. Just because Ancient Jews and Medieval Catholics had mistresses and prostitutes doesn't mean that it was considered morally correct even at the time.

And we're pretty fargone a society if everyone believes (as you do) that sex is merely a form of currency - an exchange of goods and services.

Knight Templar:

Danglybits:
If porn is legal, then prostitution should be legal. Why is it okay to accept money for sex if there's a camera running, but if not then everyone involved goes to jail?

Because the people making porn aren't slaves.

Thats what the law would do, make the guy having sex with a slave guilty. Making it illegal to have sex for money is fine, but it will still happen. A better option is to regulate it so the goverment has more controle, thats going to need work to get right but its better than just locking everybody up.

Oh funny thing, if you're an aussie porn is illegal. Hardcore porn (sex) is banned in our states but the cops don't enforce it.

They aren't always slaves now, and if prostitution were legalized than there would be very few un-willing ones.

And we're pretty fargone a society if everyone believes (as you do) that sex is merely a form of currency - an exchange of goods and services.

Compared to who are we a fargone society?

I doubt anyone would be willing to sign a contract, much less have a credit card receipt at a brothel. Customers to sex shops usually prefer anonimity.

I wouldn't mind signing a contract if I went there.

Further, PROVING that the person who gave the disease to the prostitute would be impossible. If Customer A had the disease and Customers B, C, and D were infected, how do you determine who is the true disease vector? No one would sign such a contract with such a wide avenue of being screwed (back).

I guess.

Actually, if you read the Bible, it condemns prostitution pretty emphatically. Just because Ancient Jews and Medieval Catholics had mistresses and prostitutes doesn't mean that it was considered morally correct even at the time.

Irrelevant, we're talking about law, what the bible says is not to be considered. And many things were considered morally correct, beating your wife was probably considered moral back then to, doesn't mean it is.

Compared to who are we a fargone society?

I think that the normal person today believes that sex is something special that is shared between two individuals. So if everyone believed that sex is merely a method of exchange, then we are fargone even to today's beliefs about sex.

I wouldn't mind signing a contract if I went there.

Wow. To put it in perspective, when someone rents a car, they pull out a sheet and have you sign all the nicks and dents that were there prior to you driving it. That way you don't get screwed for damages that you didn't cause.

But in your case, you would be willing to sign for damages you can't even prove you didn't cause.

She may be a hot ride, but I don't think she's worth that price.

Definitely.

Wow. To put it in perspective, when someone rents a car, they pull out a sheet and have you sign all the nicks and dents that were there prior to you driving it. That way you don't get screwed for damages that you didn't cause.

That's not what I meant, I meant I wouldn't mind if there was proof I was there and all anominity lost.

Okay so I am not 100% on the details (having never hired a hooker. I prefer going to pubs and using roofies but then I'm a traditionalist) but it is legal in NZ. However they do have strict guidelines such as
Street walking is illegal. You must have an actual venue.
Deliveries are okay but must be accompanied by a supervisor (bouncer)
You must have over a certain number of employees.
Must have a license.
Girls must get checked out every so often. (think its like every month or so)
Your business cannot be located within X distance of schools (fair enough) or churches (thats stupid)
Theres a few more things I cant remember however I do know they ever get paid vacations and shit too.

Also the last stats I heard about it said that immediately after they legalized it the number of rapes dropped by like 60%.

Btw am I the only one who finds it fucking hilarious that the US generally outlaws prostitution yet has the biggest porn industry in the world ?
So its no longer prostitution if you film it ?

Indigo_Dingo:
Am I the only liberal minded guy who is actively and fiercly against both prostitution and pornography?

Doesn't that kinda mean youre no longer a liberal ? Or is this just a "pick and match" rights sorta thing ?

mike1921:

Knight Templar:

Danglybits:
If porn is legal, then prostitution should be legal. Why is it okay to accept money for sex if there's a camera running, but if not then everyone involved goes to jail?

Because the people making porn aren't slaves.

Thats what the law would do, make the guy having sex with a slave guilty. Making it illegal to have sex for money is fine, but it will still happen. A better option is to regulate it so the goverment has more controle, thats going to need work to get right but its better than just locking everybody up.

Oh funny thing, if you're an aussie porn is illegal. Hardcore porn (sex) is banned in our states but the cops don't enforce it.

They aren't always slaves now, and if prostitution were legalized than there would be very few un-willing ones.

Totaly wrong, prostitution is leagal in denmark and roughly 1-2000 women are trafficked through there a year.
Yes they arn't allways slaves, but who the hell wants to live a life where each job could kill you and you're considerd the bottom of life.
Yeah thats a job people pick and enjoy, and geting beaten by your "owner" or "pimp" more than once a week is fun fun fun!

The issue the OP brought up is about trafficked women and men geting arrested for hiring them. Good, if there are fewer men using those poor people then hopefully there will be less, supply.

To think making prostitution legal would stop human traffic is simply insane.

And regular prostitution?

I guess if its regulated and nobodys getting hurt, it's still a little messed up but not as much.

[/rant]

For some reason, after reading through this thread, I'm imagining the whole prostitution stuff as a whole business complete with entrepenuers and "services". I even have a whole senario thought up, but for the life of me I don't want to risk getting banned...

I really don't know how to feel on this issue really.

To think making prostitution legal would stop human traffic is simply insane.

It would slow it.

Yes they arn't allways slaves, but who the hell wants to live a life where each job could kill you and you're considerd the bottom of life.

Quite a few people I'd imagine.

Yeah thats a job people pick and enjoy, and geting beaten by your "owner" or "pimp" more than once a week is fun fun fun!

If it were legal that just wouldn't happen.

The issue the OP brought up is about trafficked women and men geting arrested for hiring them. Good, if there are fewer men using those poor people then hopefully there will be less, supply.

How about putting the pimps in jail? They're the real users.

I guess if its regulated and nobodys getting hurt, it's still a little messed up but not as much.

That's what we're argueing about.

Break:

curlycrouton:

SuperFriendBFG:

Oh, well yeah that does make sense, you just made it sound like it would be the customer's fault.

Apologies if it did.

Wait, what's going on here? Why is rape suddenly not rape just because the perpetrator leaves some cash behind?

Because one would not pay, if one can get it for free, would one?

If it was a regulated industry with proper licensing, taxes and STD checks on a regular basis, then I have no problem with it being made legal. There should be no coercion or human trafficking allowed though.

LostInTheCosmos:

I think that the normal person today believes that sex is something special that is shared between two individuals. So if everyone believed that sex is merely a method of exchange, then we are fargone even to today's beliefs about sex.

sorry too butt in but id just like to point out that the poll here is a 70/30 split. would you say that the 70% that seems to be ok with it are all not 'normal'?

kinda brings to my mind the old saw about everyone else being crazy and your the only sane one doesnt it? its hard to call the minority the 'normal' by wich you can then judge the majority especialy with this large a split.

curlycrouton:

Typhusoid:
I heard that Jackie Smith (U.K politician) has passed a legislation stating that if a prostitute has been coerced into it then their client is guilty. To me this just doesn't make sense I was wondering about your views.

Why doesn't it make sense? If they are coerced into sex with someone else, i.e. raped, then yes, the male is most certainly guilty.

Sorry I forgot to include that the legislation states that the male is guilty even if he doesn't know about the coercian

It should be legal, but there would have to be an effective policy on who could work as a prostitute to ensure illegally trafficked immigrants don't end up selling their bodies for some dick for the rest of their lives.

The UAE had a crackdown on prostitution and human trafficking last year. Now anyone who is a prostitute or a pimp will get sent to jail, pay a fine, and get deported.

The Law - Whatever the circumstance, the man is the guilty party.

LostInTheCosmos:

I think that the normal person today believes that sex is something special that is shared between two individuals.

Sadly I have to disagree with that. To most sex is just something to do, just a fun way to pass the time which honestly sickens me. Also its the reason why STIs are now a major concern.
I personally do think sex should be intimate hence I try to keep it in my pants until I am sure I know and like the girl. However if others wish to do their thing and make money off it then I see no problem as long as they stay the fuck away from me.