Legalizing prostitution... pros and cons

[Kacey]

Sparked by another thread, I am beginning a discussion of the pros and cons of legalizing prostitution. Please treat this as the serious subject I intend it to be.

Pros:

• employees and facilities can be required to meet health standards - and so can clients
• employees can be protected from "rough trade"
• clients can be protected from being "rolled" (paying up front for services not provided)
• such services can be regulated, and taxed, by the government (okay, this could go in both categories)
• madams, pimps, and other procurers would be overseen by some type of regulatory board (again, this could be both a pro and a con)
• services could be legally advertised

Cons:

• prices for services may drop, including the percentage earned by the prostitute
• young people of either gender may be lured into prostitution (often a short-term employment) instead of completing school
• brothels would attempt to provide the services desired by all of their clients - including rough treatment, underage prostitutes, etc. - and could resort to illegal means to provide such services, for higher fees

Comments?

 

[Cryozombie]

I'd wonder, How well does it work in Nevada?

 

[jamz]

I'd be all for it, I always thought it should be legal. Never would actually become a customer, but I don't have a problem with other people doing it.


Did I just say "doing it"?


It would take a high risk business and make it low risk. It would create another avenue for a person to spend money on. The only real argument against it is a religeous one, in which sex before marriage is discouraged.

 

[terryl965]

I'd be all for it, I always thought it should be legal. Never would actually become a customer, but I don't have a problem with other people doing it.


Did I just say "doing it"?

This is my way of thinking as well, legalized it Tax it and hopefully it will help in the long run. Of course I would never be a customer .

 

[morph4me]

Sparked by another thread, I am beginning a discussion of the pros and cons of legalizing prostitution. Please treat this as the serious subject I intend it to be.

Pros:

• employees and facilities can be required to meet health standards - and so can clients
• employees can be protected from "rough trade"
• clients can be protected from being "rolled" (paying up front for services not provided)
• such services can be regulated, and taxed, by the government (okay, this could go in both categories)
• madams, pimps, and other procurers would be overseen by some type of regulatory board (again, this could be both a pro and a con)
• services could be legally advertised

Cons:

• prices for services may drop, including the percentage earned by the prostitute
• young people of either gender may be lured into prostitution (often a short-term employment) instead of completing school
• brothels would attempt to provide the services desired by all of their clients - including rough treatment, underage prostitutes, etc. - and could resort to illegal means to provide such services, for higher fees

Comments?

I think that the cons could be addressed by the government regulations in the pro column. The pro's, I think, outweigh the cons. Like any other industry, there will be some abuses, but I think that, all in all, legalizing prostitution makes sense, especially since we're never going to stop it anyway.

 

[Tez3]

Perhaps legalising brothels would go a long way to ensuring that the people who are working in them are actually there willingly. In the UK and Europe, where brothels aren't legal there is a big trade in illegal immigrants being used for prostitution, girls from Eastern Europe are traded...bought and sold.. by the brothel owners, raped and kept on drugs with their passports hidden so they don't escape. In the European countries where brothels are legalised I believe the situation is better and the girls aren't illegals.Interesting view from the UN here.
http://www.unesco.org/courier/1998_12/uk/ethique/txt1.htm

 

[newGuy12]

This is a hard question to answer. It would be good to see how it worked out in places where it is legal.

Two things that I will never exchange money for is software and sexual activity. The best things in life are free, or at least do not get paid for with a cash transaction.

People who do this are not in their right mind. If the government says, "Okay its legal" some may say that that means "we condone it". But, I am of the mind that government should let everyone do as they please more than not. Less government, less laws, are the better way, in general.

I suppose I would say that on the balance, it would be better to have it be legal, but not by much. Same with gambling for money, it causes problems for some people, but it might not be the government's job to keep everyone safe from themselves.

 

[hongkongfooey]

Men have paid for sex in one way or another since the beginning of human history. Religion has made sex "evil".

 

[BrandiJo]

I disagree that religion as made sex evil, the world has made sex evil by making everything about sex. If sex where just another subject there would be no allure to it, there would be not shock value to it. If parents taught there children that every one has sex, and yup it feels good and in time you will know what its like to, when YOUR ready, not your friends or your bf/gf at the time is ready but you are there would be a whole lot less desire for it. I think the same goes with prostitution, people want what they cant have, and right now they cant have a prostitute so they find ways to get one anyways. If it where legal, taxed, regulated, and clean it would be a whole lot less desirable and a whole lot safer for all parties involved.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

legalize it, impliment health and wellness guidelines and tax it.

Either way the "sick" stuff will still happen.

 

[theletch1]

legalize it, impliment health and wellness guidelines and tax it.

Either way the "sick" stuff will still happen.

Yep. It's much like the regulation of bars. There will always be someone serving the underage or doing a little something else in the "VIP" room. It would cut down on much of the abuse that the prostitutes must deal with but would by no means put an end to it. I figure legalized marijuana has a better chance of passing than legalized prostitution, though.

 

[Wild Bill]

People advocate for legalizing prostitution and drugs as if we did not already have the right to do what we please with our bodies. Underage sex, forced sex, and human trafficing is immoral and deprives people of their rights. These things are illigal and should remain so. I have a problem with the idea that the government would have anything to say about what I do or don't do to myself or another consenting adult in private. Drugs and prostitution are often seen as victimless crimes. I disagree. If there is no victem then there is no crime.

Something else to think about is that anytime the government gets involved with something there will still be a black market. People are going to want the drugs and prostitution that isn't allowed by the government. Tobacco and alcohol are legal but are still traded on the black market by organized crime because it is often cheaper to go around government regulations.

 

[ChadWarner]

Prosititution is legal in the U.S.. I would not say it is a good thing to tax and regulate brothels in cities. It is not a good career choice for a young american woman woman to make, our country is much better than that.

I live in Las Vegas- prosititution is illegal in clark county and it should be. Amsterdam is now having problems with the russian mafia acting as pimps for the women in the brothels- The Dutch are going to pare down the red light district considerabley in order to control the racketeering. It just doesnt seem to be an industry that is easily controlled- If it is made legal large corporations will jump into the mix and trillions of dollars will be pumped into the industry. Slippery slope or not young women have to come from somewhere.

 

[Cryozombie]

Men have paid for sex in one way or another since the beginning of human history.

I know, I pay for sex all the time and dont even get it. At least if prostitution was legal, I wouldnt be wasting my money.

grumble grumble.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Sparked by another thread, I am beginning a discussion of the pros and cons of legalizing prostitution. Please treat this as the serious subject I intend it to be.

Pros:

• employees and facilities can be required to meet health standards - and so can clients
• employees can be protected from "rough trade"
• clients can be protected from being "rolled" (paying up front for services not provided)
• such services can be regulated, and taxed, by the government (okay, this could go in both categories)
• madams, pimps, and other procurers would be overseen by some type of regulatory board (again, this could be both a pro and a con)
• services could be legally advertised

Cons:

• prices for services may drop, including the percentage earned by the prostitute
• young people of either gender may be lured into prostitution (often a short-term employment) instead of completing school
• brothels would attempt to provide the services desired by all of their clients - including rough treatment, underage prostitutes, etc. - and could resort to illegal means to provide such services, for higher fees

Comments?

Price drop is a con? what the hell!

 

[Touch Of Death]

Men have paid for sex in one way or another since the beginning of human history. Religion has made sex "evil".

Religion did no such thing. Maybe your religion. Christianity just happens to a be a sexualy negative religion.
Sean

 

[Kacey]

Price drop is a con? what the hell!

It's a con for the prostitute, who would then earn less.

 

[Touch Of Death]

It's a con for the prostitute, who would then earn less.

This is obviously true; however, not all prostitutes are hight rollers now. They would have every protection any other worker has; so, they would be in the same boat as all of us. It would even out. Tell them to get another job if they don't like the competition.
sean

 

[Sukerkin]

Anything made illegal is nothing short of an 'earner' for the criminal fraternity. The Black Market exists solely to circumvent government controls of a product, or in the case under discussion, a service.

I don't know as I could ever stand the internal 'shame' of forming a business transaction with a prostitute but I can think of several circumstances in which a man would have either the choice of celebacy or the choice of direct payment for sex.

Given that the professional is world renowned as the "Oldest" and that thousands of years of religious attempts to remove it have failed, perhaps the time is right for a little pragmatism?

If organised crime still muscles in on the act then the problem becomes of a different character and is really the subject of a whole other discourse.

 

[AceHBK]

Men have paid for sex in one way or another since the beginning of human history. Religion has made sex "evil".

First I must say, Touch Of Death had me falling out laughing at his comments....lmao


HKF....I am in total agreement with you. Men have always paid for sex and will continue to pay for sex in one way or another. Some of the fellas on here need to go on and admit they have.

I mean we have all dated some women just to get a piece of ***. Add up the cost of dinner, movies, gas, etc from the first time you meet till you finally have sex...that is what you paid. Directly or indirectly you are still paying for it.

I have no problem with those who pay for it directly nor do I have a problem with the women who accept the money directly. I see it as tem being more honest about it all b/c they know what they want and they dont waste each others time. Some guys just say hey "I will just pay the $100 now and get what I want and not have to wait a few weeks to get it".

I know some of you guys will say you meet women witht he intention of dating but I wont even tell that lie. Imma man..im 30! lol (OSU football coach reference) Sometimes I pick up chick with the sole intention to just get some sex and it may take a few dates to get it and afterwards im onto the next one.

For people who think it is so bad...ask Paul McCartney if it would have been cheaper to have had a full time prostitute with 2 working legs than Heather Mills.

They need to go on and make it legal so the govt can tax it and get their cut. Regulation could help clean it up as well as getting some health regulation involved. It is nothing more than 2 consenting adults getting what they want and when you step back and look at it it happens all the time but indirectly. Heck take a woman out twice think of the money you spent ....all you did was pay for her time! Prostitutes say spend less tan that and get the ending that you want.

Now on the religion aspect, I think certain religions have made it seem evil. I hate to use that word but can't of anything else to call it. I think those same people end up being the sexually repressed folks who are way more dangerous b/c they feel like their religion looks down upon them for being sexually active or curious about it.